The Vietnam years were profoundly traumatic for millions of people and consequently for American society and culture, and the legacy of that wrenching period is still very much with us. Examining the impact of the war is key to understanding who we are today as individuals and moving forward as a society.

Many factors have prevented us from looking at Vietnam until now. But today, 20 years after the war's end, we are perhaps ready to listen to each other's stories. Doing so can help bridge the divisions that still lie beneath the surface and, if we can listen to each other on Vietnam, perhaps we can learn to communicate on other divisive issues as well.

Until recently, there's been no place for a dialogue across differences. But behind the hype about the Internet as a democratic medium, there is a real but largely untested potential. It can be both a gathering place for complex personal stories and an opportunity to listen and respond to people with very different experiences.

We'd like to include your story. How has your life TODAY been affected by the Vietnam era? How are you different as a result? How has it affected your values, your relationships, your children or parents, your politics, your livelihood, your attitudes towards life and death, your philosophy of life? *What would you want your children and descendants to know about how Vietnam affected you -- and therefore them?*

We await your response with interest and anticipation.