Niedzwiedz plays ‘huge’ role in LZ Lambeau event

UW-Green Bay professor of Public and Environmental Affairs Bill Niedzwiedz had a large role in the highly-publicized LZ Lambeau event this weekend. With the help of personnel in the Office of Marketing and University Communication and local vendor Quick Signs, Niedzwiedz engineered a parking-lot-size map that will be a centerpiece of the Green Bay reunion of Vietnam veterans. The vinyl sheet, 105 feet wide and 140 feet long, displays Vietnam including provinces, key rivers and important place identified by veterans. The map also includes an insert map of IndoChina at a smaller scale. Attendees are welcome to walk on and/or write on the map. The idea was the brainchild of Mik (pronounced Mick) Derks, a Wisconsin Public Television producer, to inspire conversation by the vets. “The premise is that Vietnam vets were treated differently than other war vets, so they tend not to talk about their experiences,” Niedzwiedz said. “The map is a mechanism to help them share experiences — good or bad — talk and heal.” Niedzwiedz started with a base map provided by the Wisconsin State Historical Society. The map will be placed in the Lambeau Field parking lot. His work will be featured in an upcoming story by WBAY-TV.