He Tells How The Vietnam War Split Small Iowa Towns. He Reads 2 Letters To Show The Split

The speaker is Ed Sidey, the editor at the Adair County Free Press, a local newspaper that served Adair County, Iowa publishing out of Greenfield. The interview was conducted in 1989. Ed Sidey was a notable figure known for his straightforward and often colorful editorial style and he was a fixture in Iowa journalism for many years. His writings and approach to journalism made him a recognized figure not just in Adair County but across the state of Iowa. Given that Sidey was a local newspaper editor, his primary focus was on events and issues directly impacting his community. However, like many editors of his time, he was influenced by the broader national sentiment and the significant events occurring during his tenure such as the Vietnam War. As for the political leanings of the Adair County Free Press, like many local newspapers, it focused on community news and did not have a strong political bent like national publications did at that time. But the two letters to the editor that he reads in this video clip indicate that the Vietnam War touched every community because the draft pulled soldiers to fight from every community.