Film Screening Q&A - Vietnam: The Secret Agent

The Intrepid Museum invites current and former service members and the public to a screening of the newly restored documentary Vietnam: The Secret Agent. This 1984 film documents the extraordinary history of chemical warfare, agricultural herbicides, damage to the world environment, and the plight of Vietnam War veterans and their families as they struggle for treatment of exposure to Agent Orange and dioxin. Almost 40 years later, Vietnam: The Secret Agent still resonates today as veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continue to advocate for treatment of health complications due to burn pit exposure.

Following the screening, there will be a panel discussion with the filmmakers and veteran health advocates moderated by Matthew Ryba, Director of Community Outreach and Education at New York-Presbyterian Military Family Wellness Center and Marine Corps Veteran.

This program is free with advance registration.

FAQ

Who is this event open to?

The film screening Q&A is open to current and former service members and the public. While the event is open to all ages, Vietnam: The Secret Agent covers sensitive topics and viewer discretion is advised.

What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?

Please visit the Getting Here page for directions and Parking Information for more information about local parking options. There is no parking at the Museum.

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

Please email access@intrepidmuseum.org or call 646-381-5158.

Veterans Programs are made possible by public funds facilitated by the New York City Council Committee on Veterans, in partnership with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. These programs are also supported by the Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund. The Museum’s education programs are supported, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Panelist Biographies:

Matthew Ryba

Matthew Ryba is the Director of Community Outreach and Education for the Military Family Wellness Center at Columbia - Presbyterian. He is a decorated Marine Corps combat veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with ten years of honorable service, including six deployments. Matthew served in the infantry as a noncommissioned officer in the battle of Ramadi with 2nd Battalion 5th Marines and as the JUMP Platoon Sergeant in the battle of Marjah, Helmand Province with 2nd Battalion 6th Marines. Matthew has been researching trauma in military and veteran populations for nearly a decade. He is a vocal veteran and mental health advocate and holds degrees in psychology and philosophy from Fordham University.

Dr. Yuval Neria

Dr. Yuval Neria is Professor of Medical Psychology at the Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center and Director of the PTSD Research and Treatment Program at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Neria, a combat veteran, grew up in Israel, and served in the Israeli army. He received Israel’s highest military honor, the Medal of Valor, for his actions in the Second Yom Kippur War. Dr. Neria has studied the effects of trauma across different contexts, including wars and disasters, for over twenty years at Columbia University, and his research lab is globally recognized in researching, developing, and testing innovative treatments for PTSD.

Kelly Kennedy

Kelly Kennedy is the Managing Editor for The War Horse. Kelly is a bestselling author and award-winning journalist who served in the U.S. Army from 1987 to 1993, including tours in the Middle East during Desert Storm, and in Mogadishu, Somalia. She has worked as a health policy reporter for USA TODAY, spent five years covering military health at Military Times, and is the author of “They Fought for Each Other: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq,” and the co-author of “Fight Like a Girl: The Truth About How Female Marines are Trained,” with Kate Germano. Kelly is the co-author of "Queen of Cuba: An Insider’s Account of How The Perfect Spy Evaded Detection for 17 Years" with FBI agent Pete Lapp, and "The Activity: My Life Inside America's Most Secret Military Unit" with retired Sgt. Maj. Ameen al-Gammal. As a journalist, she was embedded in both Iraq and Afghanistan. She is the only U.S. female journalist to both serve in combat and cover it as a civilian journalist, and she is the first female president of Military Reporters and Editors.

Jacki Ochs

Jacki Ochs is an award-winning executive producer, producer and director of documentary film. Honors include two-time MacDowell Colony and Guggenheim Fellowships. She has been Executive Director of Human Arts Association, a not-for-profit media sponsoring organization in New York, since 1980. She is Professor Emerita at Pratt Institute and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Daniel Keller

Daniel Keller has enjoyed decades of producing, directing, shooting, and editing documentary films, many related to the environment and threats to it from human activity. He is Co-Founder and President of Green Mountain Post Films, a production/distribution company of social issue films, including “Lovejoy’s Nuclear War,” the story of one man’s fight against a Massachusetts nuclear plant, which was chosen for the John Grierson Award in 1976. He lives on and maintains a small organic farm, raising sustainable fruit, vegetables, and sheep with his wife and children.