"Hunting Charlie" exhibit explores the United States enemy in the Vietnam War

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Sep 23, 2016, 12:35 ET

CHICAGO, Sept 23, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pritzker Military Museum & Library's exhibit, Hunting Charlie: Finding the Enemy in the Vietnam War, explores the United States' enemy during the Vietnam conflict through rarely seen original art pieces. The exhibit displays a point-and-counterpoint perspective by pairing North Vietnamese propaganda art created from 1952 to 1973 with photos, Bill Mauldin political cartoons and reflections from United States combat veterans. The exhibit opens September 29, 2016 with a reception from 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Left Image: "What will Jane Fonda think of you now? Mauldin, William (1921-2003) Ca. 1978Right Image: "End the war in Vietnam /Chấm dứt chiến tranh ở Việt-Nam Down with Nixon!/Đả Đảo Nich-xơn!" Ngọc Quy, 1972

The narrative of how the North Vietnamese and the United States became such bitter enemies reads as a bloody clash between two countries who knew very little about each other. The core exhibition pieces, curated from the Museum & Library's collection and on loan from Albert Goodman, help reveal the complex identity and tactics of the United States adversary during the Vietnam War.

"A strong case can be made today that outside Vietnam War veterans, the United States still does not know who its enemy was during the Vietnam War," says Museum & Library President and CEO Kenneth Clarke, "Considering the numerous resources on our enemies in WWII and anti-Vietnam War activism on the home front, the lack of academic resources about our enemy and their tactics in the Vietnam War is as concerning as it is surprising." Fifty years later, we are still Hunting Charlie.

The opening of Hunting Charlie bolsters the Museum & Library's ongoing exhibition FACES OF WAR: Documenting the Vietnam War from the Front Lines, which features combat photography and motion picture by Vietnam War veterans. FACES OF WAR and Hunting Charlie provide the Museum & Library the opportunity to focus its museum space on the Vietnam War in recognition of the war's 50^th anniversary.

Learn more about Hunting Charlie or register to attend the exhibit opening by visiting www.pritzkermilitary.org.

About the Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Founded in 2003, The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is a non-partisan, non-government information center covering many eras and branches of the military. Open to the public, the Museum & Library is a physical and online resource featuring extensive collections of books, artifacts, television programs and rotating exhibits where citizens and soldiers come together to learn about military history and the role of the military in a democracy.

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SOURCE Pritzker Military Museum & Library