PAPILLION, Neb. (KMTV) — On Wednesday afternoon, the Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation, NVVM, hosted a private screening of the new movie “The Greatest Beer Run Ever.” It's a true story of Chickie Donohue, a young veteran who snuck into Vietnam at the height of the war to deliver beer to his friends.
"My goal telling this story was that every Vietnam vet that walked out of the theater would say that's accurate," said Peter Farrelly, director of "The Greatest Beer Run Ever."
Farrelly is an academy award winning producer famous for movies like "Dumb and Dumber" and hopes people who were against the war also find this movie accurate.
"We want to honor, those who served in Vietnam they were denied a thank you for your service treatment, that later veterans thankfully did receive," said producer Andrew Muscato.
The screening benefits the Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial that is expected to be complete in June of 2023, a symbol of appreciation and remembrance.
"This is why you do memorials, so you can remember these people who gave their lives," said George Abbott, NVVM board of directors founding member and Vietnam veteran.
It hopes to also be a way to continue education.
"The memorial is really important, because it tells a story about a war that was quite unpopular in the end," said Bob Kerrey, former U.S. Senator.
Kerrey, a Vietnam Veteran himself, was at the screening and hopes both the movie and the memorial will allow for more conversation about the war and American during that time.
"This memorial recognizes and remembers Nebraskans who fought and died in that war,” Kerrey said. “But also, hopefully, it will tell a larger story of how we can avoid these wars in the future."
The memorial aims to honor the 400 Nebraska soldiers who died during the Vietnam war, those who lost their lives in the aftermath and all who served during that time.
The foundation hopes the memorial will not only be a place of remembrance but also a place of healing and peace.
The foundation is still looking for donations to help complete the memorial.
The movie is available for streaming on Apple TV.
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