More than 30 fellow newspaper owners, publishers, attorneys, editors, reporters and advertising representatives attended the annual Southeast Missouri Press Association’s annual meeting Thursday, July 15. The event took place at Robinson Construction’s event center.
The event included legal updates from Missouri Press Association attorney Jean Maneke, a discussion on diversity, equity and inclusion by Dr. Tamara Buck of Southeast Missouri State University as well as an interactive presentation on headlines and cutlines by Kim Robertson, editor of Leader Publications.
This year’s event featured visit to the Missouri National Vietnam Memorial. Col. Kevin Robinson, retired U.S. Army, gave a presentation on the memorial before the attendees were given a guided tour of the wall and the rest of the MNVM grounds.
“We’re dedicated to honoring our nation’s veterans and it’s more than just the wall. It’s a memorial to all veterans of all services. This is just how we got started.
“The wall just happens to be our centerpiece at this time,” Robinson said.
The site brings people together and provides a chance to reflect, according to Robinson.
“You wouldn’t believe the stories that come out of here,” he said.
It’s often an opportunity for family members and friends to hear veterans share their experience of service and is why it is often referred to as “a wall of healing,” Robinson noted.
“A lot of these stories have been bottled up for 50 years and they haven’t told anybody,” Robinson said. “ This is an emotional event. It gives them a place to connect with other veterans.
Legislation to complete a Vietnam memorial was approved in 1980.
Robinson explained how Maya Ying Lin submitted a design and among the 1,432 plus design submissions for a Vietnam memorial, she had the winning entry.
There were no names on the submissions, just numbers, according to Robinson.
“They wanted to incorporate the structures back into the land,” Robinson said. The designer’s vision was to have a knife open up the ground and, in time, it would be restored.
“This is an open wound that has healed,” Robinson said.