Stories from people like you help this site grow. We've gathered a selection of some of the most interesting, poignant and provocative poems, essays, songs and memories that people have shared with us. Please feel free to share your thoughts on each piece, and go to the "Share Your Story" section to add your own.
I went "there" in 1970, and I came home alive in 1971. My WWII Silver Star dad went to the Wall with me three years ago. He cried for his friends left behind in Europe over 50 years ago.... read more »
The thing that I remember most of all is the smells. When I got off the plane, I was hit with the overwhelming smell of things "growing and dying." To this day, some 25 years later, certain scents will... read more »
I am 63 years of age, married, two grown children, one granddaughter. I went to Vietnam twice. My first trip was not a very pleasant experience. I can still remember the piles of bags and the stench of their... read more »
In high school during the late 1960s, I dated a girl whose next door neighbor went to Viet Nam as a Navy Corpsman. This experience is the defining expression of what Viet Nam continues to mean to me. The... read more »
I was born July 23, 1970, during two wars that did not happen. The first war — the Cold War — was expected to culminate in mutual assured destruction. But that destruction never came...the war was a sham. The... read more »
I am a college professor at the University of California, Davis. I am 58 years old and a member of the Vietnam War generation. I served my country from 1962-1964, but did not serve in Viet Nam. Once I... read more »
My name is Jana and I was born in 1947. 1. I was in college 1965-69 and grad school till 1974. 2. My most vivid memories of that era have to do with being involved in the anti war... read more »
In June of 1966, I not only graduated from high school but, experienced the impact of death- for the first time. A young man I had dated and loved...died in Vietnam. He was killed by a land mine, only... read more »
From 1967-1970 I was attending Western Washington State College (now Western Washington University). My wife and our three son's moved to Bellingham, Washington where I began college as a Freshman. I was 32 years old and working for an... read more »
At first, you think -- what a dumb idea. Take one magnificent monument -- Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans's Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Copy all 57,661 names on the polished black granite wall onto metal panels. Shrink... read more »
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