Coming Home

From the front to the kitchen table — letters, recordings, and an exhibition about the months after the last letter arrived.

Coming Home is a thread anchored at Soldiers Memorial about the long arc of reentry after military service. It is paired with the Library's manuscript holdings of Vietnam-era correspondence, oral histories with St. Louis veterans, a sensory-friendly companion guide, and listening sessions developed in partnership with VA counselors and Gold Star families.

[SAVE TO YOUR VISIT · MEMBER HUB ITINERARY · INTEGRATION SLOT]

[THREAD HERO · FOLDED LETTER ON ARCHIVAL CRADLE WITH SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD]

Exhibits

[EXHIBIT HERO · ARCHIVAL PORTRAIT OF VIETNAM VETERAN, MID-1970s ST. LOUIS]

OPENING APR 2026

Coming Home: St. Louisans Return from Vietnam

Letters, photographs, and recorded conversations from veterans and their families about the years immediately after Vietnam.

Court of Honor Gallery · Soldiers Memorial

Stories

[HERO · FOLDED LETTER ON ARCHIVAL CRADLE, SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD]

COMING HOME · EXHIBITION FEATURE

What the letters knew that the news did not.

From the Coming Home exhibit: correspondence between St. Louis families and their soldiers in Vietnam — and the months after the last letter arrived.

[BYLINE · CURATOR, MILITARY HISTORY] · Apr 4, 2026 · 7 min read

Programs & tours

[EVENT · CIRCLE OF CHAIRS, RESPECTFUL LIGHTING]

Memorial · Sat, Apr 18 · 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Veterans Listening Session: Coming Home

An invited, structured listening session with St. Louis-area Vietnam veterans, paired with the new exhibit.

Free · RSVP requiredWheelchair accessibleASL

Standing initiatives

[INITIATIVE HERO · GRID OF CONTRIBUTED OBJECTS — PHOTOGRAPHS, LETTERS, FAMILY ITEMS]

We Are St. Louis

An open community-history campaign. Anyone in the region can contribute photographs, letters, recordings, or objects.

Contribute your story →

Follow this thread

Bring it with you.

Save this thread to your Member Hub itinerary, sign up for the monthly newsletter, or plan a visit to the property where the thread anchors.

Plan a visit Get the newsletter

← All threadsThread · Coming Home