As a boy growing up in Alton, Illinois, Ned Broderick listened to his father and uncles talk about World War II. “They told of going without sleep, having a hard time finding food, being in cities that were bombed flat.” He remembers saying something bad about the Germans and being surprised to hear his father reply, “The German soldiers were just like us.”
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
In 1965 Broderick wanted to enlist in the military. An army recruiter promised him all sorts of opportunities. A Marine Corps recruiter said, “The Marine Corps will promise you a pack, a rifle, and a hard time.” He’d learned from his father and uncles to be skeptical of recruiters’ promises and decided the marine recruiter wasn’t lying. He joined the marines.
Some of Broderick’s pieces refer specifically to Vietnam. In the sculpture Le Duc Tho Goes to Paris to Discuss the Shape of a Table we see a real Chinese submachine gun sticking out of the mouth of the North Vietnamese peace negotiator. The work is angry, aggressive. “Le Duc Tho did not come to Paris to look for peace,” he says. “He came to Paris to fight the Vietnam war on another level.”
