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Web site offers solace to Vietnam veterans

May 24, 1997
Web posted at: 11:51 p.m. EDT (0351 GMT)
Vietnam Memorial

From Correspondent Susan Reed

SAN FRANCISCO (CNN) -- Immortalized in stone by a stark memorial in Washington, the Vietnam War also has a growing presence in cyberspace.

A particularly compelling site for Vietnam veterans is PBS' "Stories Since the War." It lets vets discuss their thoughts and passions about the war, helping them to overcome the pain of a dark episode in history that transformed a generation of Americans.

"Folks, it ain't over 'till it's over, and it ain't over until everybody comes home," Vietnam vet Chet Botkins says.

site

Botkins returned from his tour in Vietnam suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. He says the dialogue he encounters on the Internet helps him and other vets cope with the life-altering experience of the war.

"Most Vietnam veterans don't talk about Vietnam, because if you didn't walk the walk, you can't talk the talk," he says. "Vietnam veterans very seldom deal with anyone other than a Vietnam War" veteran.

On the World Wide Web, the site offers vets a host of relevant issues. Among the selections: Vietnam protest, vets/non-vets dialogue, teaching about Vietnam and attitudes toward the Vietnamese.


VXtreme logo VXtreme streaming video of full Vietnam veteran's web site story from CNN

Marc Weiss, once an anti-war activist, sees it as a powerful tool to deal with issues dividing society.

"People who have come there and really stayed with the dialogue have been changed by the experience," Weiss says. "The vets have been saying to us it has been a healing experience for them."

soldiers

One posting, entitled "Healing time," reads: "Can we finally mourn in peace for those that were lost and those that still suffer their wounds in pain?"

Sensitivity of this sort is rare on the Web. "What it creates is another option, another way of getting at something that is very difficult," Brad Wieners of Hardwired magazine says.

The Vietnam Web site was launched in November, and operators are still trying to get enough financing to remain online.

For now, the site brings people together -- those with widely divergent backgrounds, opinions and experiences. It's a place where people listen and no one gets shouted down.

 
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