“Vietnam: West Virginians Remember,” a documentary produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting that tells the story of five West Virginia Vietnam veterans, premieres tonight at 8 p.m. on PBS.

Marshall University hosted an early screening of the documentary Tuesday at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center. The premier also featured a panel of Vietnam veterans, historians and journalist Ed Rabel, who covered the war from 1970 to 71 on CBS and NBC in country and gained a new perspective the American public had not seen from either the government or the mass media.

The documentary stated that it is time to start talking about the Vietnam war.

“It’s time we let people who served in Vietnam tell their stories before they’re all gone,” said Eddie Isom, director of television at WV PBS.

The New York Times reported that an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 Vietnam veterans have committed suicide. The panel attributed these numbers to high rates of depression, anger and a public who never spoke about the war.

The Huntington Veterans Center was established in 1979, and has counselors who speak with veterans about their PTSD.

Sebastian Morris can be contacted at [email protected].