(upbeat music) - Folks, we wanna welcome two very special guests.

Nick Asselta is former New Jersey State Senator and Board Member of New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation.

Amy Osborn, President and CEO of that same foundation.

Great to have you both with us.

- Good to be here, Steve, - Thank you.

- Nick, let me ask you, Nick.

We've known each other for a while.

You've been connected to public life in the state for a long time.

Your connection to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation.

Talk about it because I know it's very personal and poignant for you, please.

- Sure.

When I was first elected to the New Jersey Assembly, I dedicated my legislative service to helping veterans because my oldest brother, who was four years older than me, served in Vietnam as a First Lieutenant.

Was the commander of the Northern forces of Saigon, protecting the capital city, and died in service in Vietnam in March of 1968.

So that has been my mission.

Legislatively, I did a lot of legislative pieces of legislation.

Most importantly, we rebuilt the Vineland Veterans Memorial Home with Congressman LoBiondo.

And that's it in a nutshell, why I'm involved.

- We have the website up Amy, right now, because part of our role, we've been doing more and more programming and frankly, not nearly enough on our veterans.

Check out our separate programming on veterans' homes.

That is not the subject today.

But there's a whole range of programming we need to do about our veterans and what their needs are, and how we're not responding to their needs.

That being said, as the website is up right now, Amy, describe the memorial, and describe how people can be supportive beyond simply saying, and it matters to say, "Thank you for your service," but it's not nearly enough.

Please, Amy.

- Well, I think, for what I've noticed for visitors who come here for the first time is how shocked they are at, first of all, it's a sprawling piece of property.

It's about five acres.

And we have boots on the ground, Vietnam veterans as our tour guides.

They call themselves docents.

And it's a very special part of the experience.

So I think for people to visit and what Nick and I are really trying to do is get that publicity out there so that people know who we are.

Because we're finding, and I've been in this role for six months now, we're finding that people in Monmouth County don't even know we're here.

And we are the only place of its kind in the country, Steve.

So we are really trying to promote the place.

And what I noticed when people come here to to visit, they are absolutely blown away.

- What will they see?

I'm sorry for interrupting.

We're gonna show some pictures.

What will they see?

'Cause one of the things, the Wall of Faces, I hate to direct this so much, but I know there's a Wall of Faces.

- Yes.

- And I know there's some other pictures.

As we show the photo, or the photos of the Wall of Faces, talk about what is that?

- The Wall of Faces was created by, I think, maybe 10 or 15 years ago by a gentleman who did the original website for the memorial.

He created a program so that we could show a photo, so we could put a face to a name of every single person on our wall.

And on social media and on our website, you can go there and you can see, I believe the date is the killed in action date, the date of death of that particular person who served in Vietnam.

And I think that is so important because it humanizes it, right?

We can look at the wall behind me.

You can visit the memorial and see the granite with the names etched into it, but to actually put a face to the name of that person who paid the ultimate sacrifice, that takes it to a whole other level.

And it brings in emotion to it that a lot of people are surprised, happens for them.

And getting back to your original question about visiting the memorial, without even seeing that Wall of Faces, it is so impactful.

People are emotional when they come here.

And, - Amy, where are you?

Amy, I'm sorry for interrupting.

Where are you physically?

Where is it located?

- We're in Homedale, Exit 116 off the Garden State Parkway.

We actually share the property with the PNC Arts Center.

So when you turn in, off of Exit 116, you'll see signs to turn into the memorial.

- Nick, this is obviously, as you talked about at the beginning with your brother, losing your brother Charles, 1968, you said?

- [Nick] Yes.

- Is obviously highly personal.

To what degree do you believe, Nick, that beyond, that for public officials that you've been around a long time, politicians slash public officials, government officials, beyond what they say, how committed do you find most people in government who can do something to show our veterans, particularly Vietnam veterans, how much we care?

How much action is there compared to the rhetoric, please?

- Well, I think it's an educational situation.

I've been embarking on this educational situation to rebuild the museum and do an addition that is gonna be very important and impactful because most of these Vietnam vets are aging out.

They have many artifacts and they're dropping 'em off at our doorstep to display.

We need an expansion, we need help from government, we need help from state government, in particular.

And I've been in so many legislators' ears and the governor's office ears for the last two years since I've been on this board, to help us build and form this new foundation to expand this educational center.

We have tens of thousands of students that come here every year to memorialize this and to educate the next generation as to why this war happened and what was the result of it.

- Let's be more specific about, as we put the website up again.

- Yeah.

- Some of the additions.

First, there's a film, correct?

- I can speak to that.

When I came on board, Steve, about six months ago, I tried to think about what the most impactful changes that I could make for this place moving forward.

And two of those things were a film about this place, not about the Vietnam War, necessarily.

There have been more than 600 films about the Vietnam done.

- Yes.

- We're not trying to - - What about the veteran?

- Well, there have been tons of films done about veterans themselves.

This is how this place impacts the lives.

This place impacts the lives of Vietnam veterans and their families and their friends.

And so I wanted to capture that and by doing a film.

And then the second part of that is to give the existing building a facelift.

A much needed facelift.

- What does that mean?

What will be added?

- Well, it's still in time for 25 years, Steve.

I remember coming to this place when they cut the ribbon on it.

And fast forward to today, it looks exactly the same.

And the wall is not gonna change, obviously, and the memorials.

But the education center really does need to come up to date with the necessary media that we need.

Nick talked about students coming through.

Those students are about, they're about electronic communications.

They wanna see things.

They don't necessarily wanna stand and read an entire wall of history.

So it's going to be aesthetically pleasing.

We're going to bring the museum up to date.

And we're going to incorporate some of that electronic media that most museums have.

And we feel like that's going to really make a difference for us.

- And we encourage all of our colleagues in the media to make the investment of time and effort to feature the work of the museum, the foundation, the memorial and this cause.

Let me ask you, Nick, before we let you go.

The biggest misconception, from your perspective.

And you've been at this for a long time, and this isn't endorsing, this isn't political, it's totally factual.

Nick has been fighting for this initiative for many years.

If it were not for Nick Asselta, not convinced we would be where we are today.

That being said, Nick, what do you believe the biggest misconception for many, as it relates to Vietnam veterans and the Vietnam War, please?

- Well, I think the war was a very controversial war.

Many of our veterans who did come home were treated unfairly.

And I think what we're trying to do is make absolutely sure that these 1,564 New Jerseyans who put their lives on the line and did not come home with the rest of their colleagues and comrades, that they are remembered and that most importantly, we can continue to memorialize their service and the Gold Star families and what they've lost in the process.

That's what I think we need to do, most importantly, is to make sure that Gold Star families are acknowledged and respected for what they sacrificed.

- Amy, 30 seconds.

Why should people go to the memorial?

- 30 seconds.

It's life changing.

I promise you it will be life changing.

And we are here to honor the sacrifices of everyone on this wall.

And when they come here, they will see for themselves why it is so important that this place remain here and that it continue moving forward.

- That being said, to you, Amy, to you Nick, this will not be the last program we do, dedicated to this cause and greater public awareness.

I wanna thank both of you for your work, and just thank you.

We'll be back.

I'm Steve Adubato.

These are two folks doing important work.

We'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

Valley Bank.

New Jersey Sharing Network.

The Fidelco Group.

Holy Name.

Delta Dental of New Jersey.

PSE&G, Johnson & Johnson.

And by The Adler Aphasia Center.

Promotional support provided by Meadowlands Chamber.

And by NJ.Com.

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