About the Contest
As part of the Veterans Legacy Program, the Gilder Lehrman Institute is pleased to announce the ten winners of the 2025 Vietnam Veterans: Legacies of Service Awards. Each of the winning podcasts, documentaries, reports, and eulogies highlights the remarkable life and service of American Veterans. Please see the prizewinning entries below.
All Winners
Sam Cain
Grade: 11
School: Dwight-Englewood School, NJ
Featured Veteran: James Stockdale
Title: James Stockdale – The Stoic Philosopher in the Hanoi Prison
Spencer Chaisanguanthum
Grade: 10
School: Dalton School, NY
Featured Veteran: Annie Ruth Graham
Title: Honoring Annie Ruth Graham
Jack Ellingson
Grade: 8
School: Heritage Hall, OK
Featured Veteran: William E. Adams
Title: William E. Adams
Maria Juzych
Grade: 11
School: Academy of the Sacred Heart, MI
Featured Veteran: Harry J. Wisniewski
Title: Legacies of Service
Ezra Lee
Grade: 12
School: Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, MA
Featured Veteran: Leonard Matlovich
Title: A Gay Vietnam Veteran
Iago Macknik-Conde
Grade: 12
School: Home School, NY
Featured Veteran: Jerome E. Jacobs
Title: Remembering Private First Class Jerome E. Jacobs
Will Moffett
Grade: 9
School: Episcopal School of Jacksonville, FL
Featured Veteran: Randolph Wright Ford
Title: The Enormous Bravery of Commander Randolph Wright Ford
Piper Munyon
Grade: 9
School: Gateway High School, PA
Featured Veteran: James Vincent Thornton
Title: James Vincent Thornton: Remembering a Hero
Jasmine Sanchez
Grade: 11
School: Lawrence High School Learning Center, MA
Featured Veteran: Michael J. Blassie
Title: Michael J. Blassie
Hudson Zhao
Grade: 11
School: Novi High School, MI
Featured Veteran: Donald Eugene Odell
Title: Donald Eugene Odell Tribute
Documentary
Ezra Lee
Grade: 12
School: Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, MA
Featured Veteran: Leonard Matlovich
Title: A Gay Vietnam Veteran
Eulogy
Iago Macknik-Conde
Grade: 12
School: Home School, NY
Featured Veteran: Jerome E. Jacobs
Title: Remembering Private First Class Jerome E. Jacobs
Podcast
Maria Juzych
Grade: 11
School: Academy of the Sacred Heart, MI
Featured Veteran: Harry J. Wisniewski
Title: Legacies of Service
Hudson Zhao
Grade: 11
School: Novi High School, MI
Featured Veteran: Donald Eugene Odell
Title: Donald Eugene Odell Tribute
Report
Sam Cain
Grade: 11
School: Dwight-Englewood School, NJ
Featured Veteran: James Stockdale
Title: James Stockdale – The Stoic Philosopher in the Hanoi Prison
Spencer Chaisanguanthum
Grade: 10
School: Dalton School, NY
Featured Veteran: Annie Ruth Graham
Title: Honoring Annie Ruth Graham
Jack Ellingson
Grade: 8
School: Heritage Hall, OK
Featured Veteran: William E. Adams
Title: William E. Adams
Will Moffett
Grade: 9
School: Episcopal School of Jacksonville, FL
Featured Veteran: Randolph Wright Ford
Title: The Enormous Bravery of Commander Randolph Wright Ford
Piper Munyon
Grade: 9
School: Gateway High School, PA
Featured Veteran: James Vincent Thornton
Title: James Vincent Thornton: Remembering a Hero
Jasmine Sanchez
Grade: 11
School: Lawrence High School Learning Center, MA
Featured Veteran: Michael J. Blassie
Title: Michael J. Blassie