New Vietnam War Online Journal

In its 25th anniversary year, and to mark the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) has launched a sort of combination blog and message board for anyone who wishes to talk about the war. VVAF calls it an "interactive online journal" in their press release, which I found in my in box. The address of the site is http://www.vietnamviews.org/. I visited the site, and I was impressed. The purpose of the site is "to capture the personal experiences of people who were involved in and affected by the war…" and to "…serve as a dynamic online history for soldiers, families, friends and others to share their stories from the war." Bill Belding, President of VVAF, states that their organization wishes to depict the story of the war from many different perspectives and to keep the memories alive. "We can never forget," he says.

The organization was founded in 1980 by Vietnam veterans Bobby Muller and John Terzano. They journeyed back to Vietnam to make peace with the Vietnamese. The organization worked to lift the U.S. trade embargo and normalize relations with Vietnam and built a lasting friendship with the Vietnamese. In 1997, the VVAF won the Nobel Peace Prize for enlisting a third of the world’s countries to sign a treaty eradicating the use of antipersonnel landmines. The organization today is described in the press release as "an international humanitarian organization that addresses the causes, conduct and consequences of war through programs of advocacy and service for victims of conflict around the world." The VVAF’s main website is at http://www.vvaf.org/.

In keeping with the goal of reconciliation with the Vietnamese, Belding hopes the site will "celebrate the peace and growing friendship between the two countries." He also hopes to "increase awareness and understanding of the war, and the continued effect the war has had on the troops, their families and friends."

In order to help visitors get started, an initial set of journal entries has been posted. When I visited the site, the first thing I noticed was an open post waiting for a message. A proposed date and year for the post is even supplied, which the contributor can change. Below the new post area the first few lines of several other entries were also visible, so that a visitor could check any of the latest posts out, if interested. On the right was an index so that a visitor could pick a topic to read or write about. The press release states that contributors will be able to manage and edit their entries. The website has technology with the capability of tying the entries together in time, place and other areas, and it will be easy to post photographs and other items. The accounts will be organized and categorized. Americans, Vietnamese, and other nationalities are encouraged to contribute.

If this effort is successful, similar online journals could be launched for other wars, such as Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and the current conflict in Iraq.