The year's first Community Dinner will take place this Friday and will commence with a special preview showing of the movie "Vietnam Long Time Coming."
Each term, the Programming Board sponsors a Community Dinner that focuses on a certain theme and centers around an event, whether it be a performance or a lecture or the viewing of a film.
The presentation this Friday will be especially unique because the film will be shown in a premiere situation.
The film, produced by the creators of "Hoop Dreams," is more than just the usual drama or action or romance.
Instead, it is the true account of a 1,200 mile cycling journey across the country of Vietnam by American and Vietnamese men and women which began Jan. 1 of this year.
But there is a catch. Most of the participants are now physically disabled in some way as a result of their participation in the Vietnam War.
Deemed the Vietnam Challenge, this event was organized by World T.E.A.M. (The Exceptional Athlete Matters) Sports in order to promote the healing and unifying power of sports.
Through the event, veterans faced the painful memories of their traumatic war experiences As a result, friendships sprouted between former enemies, and veterans developed a new view of peaceful and beautiful Vietnam.
The film is coming to Dartmouth because of the school's connection with Dud Hendrick, who graduated from the Amos Tuck School of Business and coached the men's lacrosse team at Dartmouth for ten years as well.
Hendrick, a Vietnam Veteran, participated in the Vietnam Challenge even though he is not disabled himself. He served as the volunteer coordinator for the trip, ensuring the safety and aid of the disabled participants.
Hendrick will return to Dartmouth on Friday for the showing of the film as well as the Community Dinner.
Along with Hendrick, Artie Guerrero, one of the main subjects in the film, will be at Dartmouth for the preview and the dinner.
Guerrero, who began working full time for the Denver Post at age 12, was shot four times during the course of the war and is now paralyzed from the waist down and blind.
The featured speaker at the Community Dinner will be Sarah Billmeier '99, a paralympic alpine skier for the U.S. Disabled Ski Team. She will speak on the topic of disabled athletes and extreme sports challenges.
After Billmeier speaks, each table will commence with a discussion about the film or disabled athletes led by the table host, who could be anyone from a Vietnam veteran to a disabled athlete.
The film will be shown for free in the Loew Theater at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. The Community Dinner will be held at 6 p.m., and tickets for students can be bought at the Collis Info desk for $2.
