For the Ages: A History Podcast

In That Time: Michael O’Donnell and the Tragic Era of Vietnam

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0:00 | 24:59

New York Metropolitan Museum of Art President and CEO Dan Weiss explores the American experience of the Vietnam war through the lens of Michael O’Donnell. O’Donnell, a musician and poet who served as a soldier and helicopter pilot, never fired a shot in Vietnam but eventually went missing in action following an attempt to rescue fellow soldiers under heavy fire. His poetry and his story survived however, and offer a powerful, personal perspective on this dark chapter in American history. Recorded on October 15, 2022