Web site offers solace to Vietnam veterans
May 24, 1997
Web posted at: 11:51 p.m. EDT (0351 GMT)
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.
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.
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."
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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