‘Vietnam: Arizona Stories’ brings local voices to Ken Burns ‘Vietnam War’ series on Arizona PBS

This Sunday, Arizona PBS is premiering the much-anticipated Ken Burns and Lynn Novick documentary series “The Vietnam War.”

To complement the series, Arizona PBS is sharing local stories of Arizonans impacted by the Vietnam War.

Arizona PBS’ Vanessa Ruiz hosts “Vietnam: Arizona Stories,” which shares the experiences of veterans, refugees and volunteers whose lives were impacted by the Vietnam War. The Arizona PBS-produced special pays respect to more than 600 Arizonans who were killed or went missing in action in Vietnam and takes a look into the lives of Vietnamese immigrants who moved to Arizona after the war.

The 30-minute special airs Sunday, Sept. 17, at 10 p.m., following the premiere of “The Vietnam War” at 7 p.m. Funding for “Vietnam: Arizona Stories” is provided through a grant from WETA-TV.

“‘Vietnam: Arizona Stories’ underscores the impact the Vietnam War had not just on the country, but right here in Arizona,” said Arizona PBS General Manager Mary Mazur. “The stories we’ve found from across the state are both heartbreaking and inspirational. It’s a great companion piece to the amazing work done by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.”

“The Vietnam War” features testimony from nearly 100 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both sides.

The series has been in the works for more than 10 years, and includes digitally-remastered archival footage from all over the world. The series also features iconic photographs, historic television broadcasts, and a number of home movies. The series will also include revelatory audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations. “The Vietnam War” was written by Geoffrey C. Ward and produced by Sarah Botstein, Novick and Burns.

The first five episodes will air nightly from Sunday, Sept. 17, through Thursday, Sept. 21, and the final five episodes will air nightly from Sunday, Sept. 24, through Thursday, Sept. 28. Each episode will premiere at 7 p.m. “Vietnam: Arizona Stories” airs Sept. 17 at 10 p.m.

Funding for “The Vietnam War” is provided by Bank of America; Corporation for Public Broadcasting; PBS; David H. Koch; The Blavatnik Family Foundation; Park Foundation; The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; National Endowment for the Humanities; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Ford Foundation Just Films; Rockefeller Brothers Fund; and Members of The Better Angels Society: Jonathan & Jeannie Lavine, Diane & Hal Brierley, Amy & David Abrams, John & Catherine Debs, Fullerton Family Charitable Fund, The Montrone Family, Lynda & Stewart Resnick, The Golkin Family Foundation, The Lynch Foundation, The Roger & Rosemary Enrico Foundation, Richard S. & Donna L. Strong Foundation, Bonnie & Tom McCloskey, Barbara K. & Cyrus B. Sweet III, The Lavender Butterfly Fund.

“The Vietnam War” is a production of Florentine Films and WETA, Washington, D.C. Directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. Written by Geoffrey C. Ward. Produced by Sarah Botstein, Lynn Novick and Ken Burns.