The Highground Veterans Memorial Park is excited to host a Badger Talk by University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Emeritus Doug Bradley on Sunday, August 4 at 1pm. Bradley will present We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War, which places popular music at the heart of the American experience in Vietnam. The presentation explores how and why U.S. troops turned to music as a way of connecting to each other and the World back home and of coping with the complexities of the war they had been sent to fight. It also demonstrates that music was important for every group of Vietnam veterans—black and white, Latino and Native American; men and women; officers and “grunts”—whose personal reflections drive the book’s narrative.

Doug Bradley is a veteran of the Vietnam War and has written two books, “DEROS Vietnam: Dispatches from the Air-Conditioned Jungle” and co-authored, with Professor Craig Werner, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War” which was named “Best Music Book of 2015” by Rolling Stone magazine.

Badger Talks reflects our tradition of the Wisconsin Idea — to extend the resources of the university to citizens of the state. Over 200 Badger Talks are hosted around the state each year, featuring faculty and staff with expertise in a variety of disciplines. Talk topics range from cutting edge discoveries to happiness in the workplace and everything in between. Professional, community, and civic organizations, as well as schools, are invited to request a UW–Madison speaker. For more information about Badger Talks or to find a speaker for your next event, contact 608-262-3880 or badgertalks@uwmad.wisc.edu.

This presentation is part of The Highground’s annual Vietnam Veterans Reunion combining Vietnam exhibits, Huey helicopter displays (a landing is planned weather permitting) and the 1pm presentation by Doug Bradley which will all be free and open to the public.

Lunch will be free for Vietnam veterans who RSVP before July 31. Vietnam veterans can RSVP with one guest by contacting Theresa by email at museum@thehighground.org or by calling 715-743-4224.

The Highground was founded as a Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1984 and continues to honor and remember all who have served in any era to this day. More information about The Highground is available online at thehighground.us.

The Highground is located at W7031 Ridge Rd, Neillsville WI 54456.