AM-360.26 “The Vietnam Syndrome” by Magyarits Tamás Tarr Dániel
‘NAM ON THE NET
(March 1996)
“Is War Over Simply Because It Ends?
For forty million people who are closely related to the names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam War will never be over.”
(Larry Powell)
I. Finding a suitable framework
The ‘Net is BIG. So big that no living human could ever possibly have an overall view upon it. Even with such phantastic new facilities as the “SGI & Netscape International Seminar Services” (Net Search, Net Directory) or other distinguished Net Search Devices it is still practically impossible to have all the sites related to a specific topic presented in a suitable manner.
Even with the 11 top Internet search engines (Open Text Index, Lycos, Magellan, Excite, AltaVista, Yahoo, WhoWhere?, The Electric Library, DejaNews, InfoSeekGuide, and Net Locator) it is unrealizable to have a suitable framework to assess a topic by scientific means. Search engines work in many different ways - some search titles or headers of documents, others search the documents themselves, and still others search other indexes or directories.[1] But most of the time they come up with completely different facets of the same topic, making it almost impossible to create a general environment in which one is able even to approach the requested area. This is especially so when one “surfs the net” in wider terms using the web to include net sites other than the Internet such as the Usenet, WWW, Gopher, Newsgroups, and FTP sites.
Since the lack of a sufficient library system catalogue, it is very difficult to navigate between the immense amount of information sites, and one can only rely on the search engines which are often not compatible to each other by means of aspect and register. This practically means lists of sites, well or badly selected, without any kind of further specified category. For example Net Search found over 150 sites concerning ‘Vietnam War’, or the Open Text Index found 910 sites (pages) containing the string ‘Vietnam War’, etc.
Thus formulating a register of some kind as a means of framework to identify ‘what is on the net’ concerning the Vietnam War is not only necessary, but the only true way to be able to say anything on that matter. This however, is not the least an unconstrained task, for one has to scan through the various lists produced by the different search engines trying to match sites and often contradictory information in order to be able to encorporate them in one category, that one might call for example “Historical Data”.
Therefore, after about 28 hours of active interneting on the Vietnam War on the web, I came up with the following framework as a means of orientation: A catalogue of some kind of 8 mayor categories, which are able to integrate most of the sites on the Vietnam War on the net in March 1996. These are: (1) Historical Data, (2) Essays on Vietnam, (3) Veterans’ Organisations, (4) Memorials, (5) Counseling Services, (6) Confessions & Autobiographies, (7) Personal Home Pages, (8) Multimedia Groups, which further divide into (a) books, (b) pictures, (c) films, (d) miscellaneous {things I could not fit}.
These categories are not absolute, therefore some sites might well belong to more than just one category; moreover some sites clearly intend to have many features and as such cross-reference to another category.
In this paper, firstly I will give a short overview of these categories - with some supplementary documents I downloaded - ; and secondly I will provide a very short list accordingly of some of the sites - only to have some idea of that endless amount of information avaible.
II. Web sites concerning “The Vietnam War”
1) Historical Data
These are sites provided by mainly bigger libraries (eg.: The New York Public Library) and bigger universities (Ohio University, Texas Tech University, Adelaide University, and many more) dealing with a large amount of information. These include historical and technical data on military issues, political issues, general history, etc. ; different archives containing documents and images from the era, etc. ; reading lists and bibliographies for further studies with orientation and posting guidelines ; further links to other web sites accordingly. The library information sites are more exact, but mainly deal with bibliographies, while the university sites can be very helpful in terms of technical orientation, but specific information is difficult to access, since most of these are part of some bigger educational system and thus less definite.
2) Essays on Vietnam
This group contains quite a variety of essays and different writings in connection with the Vietnam War, including criticism, reflections, and scientific expositions mainly within the fields of socio-history and politology, but also military issues. The articles are distributed by various universities and different organizations, as well as experts from the U.S. Army’s different divisions.
3) Veteran’s Organisations
This is perhaps one of the biggest areas concerning the Vietnam War. There are a considerably large amount of VietVets’ (VVs) organistaions[2], with a legal governing body, “The Vietnam Veterans’ Organization” with numerous membership. These VVs Organizations show a high activity with a lot of reunions and gatherings as well as many other programmes.[3] They also boil down to smaller groups according to divisions, troops or platoons even, or according to regional settings. The main body is also maintaining an internet catalogue on the Vietnam War with current updates, so they have a high number of web links to sites concerning the VietNam War.[4] They also manage a lot of Memorials and Counseling Services, and keep an active scene in public life concerning Vietnam War issues.
4) Memorials
There are a large number of sites in connection with giving honour to the men and women who served in the Vietnam War. These include proclamations, declarations, picture archives, warnings and regrets, as well as long-long lists of POWs and MIAs listed according to different aspects.[5] These sites are partly created by the various VietVets Organisations, and most of the time honour the specific personells of that group, but there are also ones, that commemorate in larger terms. Some of these sites are created by individuals (usually veterans) as a part of their Personal Home Page.
5) Counseling Services
There are a number of counseling services specialized in the victims of war, especially the Vietnam War (some include Gulf War victims too).[6] These are run either by local governments or a VietVet Organization. There is also a National Veterans Legal Service Program that tends to provide all possible aid to veterans in general. Furthermore, some of the sites specialize in various veterans’ illnesess, most commonly Post Neurotic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which has a high number of sites dedicated.[7]
6) Confessions & Autobiographies
These sites are created by individuals who were involved in some way with the Vietnam War (eg.: U.S. soldiers, personells, or Vietnamese soldiers on the other side). They are mainly confessions about war, presented in the forms of essays, short novels, autobiographies, abstracts from diaries or letters home; or simply letters responding to some larger issue, that poped up its head on the net concerning the Vietnam war, or commemorating some event in the past. Some of these sites include other forms of media, like photographs or verses created at the time, complementing their accounts.
There seems to be a tendency to have these materials expanded into Personal Home Pages, which gives a much wider opportunity in terms of easy-access information and media processing.
7) Personal Home Pages
Home Pages are like headquarters of a larger site - an informational junction, from which one can choose from various web-links to proceed. They are mainly created by bigger servers and companies, but lately it has become fashionate for individuals to create their own Personal Home Page (PHP). So there are quite a large number of PHPs set up by Vietnam Veterans, (who are obviously into computing), which include information on the Vietnam War. These informations are rather of mixed values, comprising of genealogical notes, selected military unit histories, letters and short writings, etc. as well as other media, like photos and sound-bytes. There are of course a bunch of lists of further links to other sites on the Vietnam War often cross-referencing each other. These PHPs naturally contain many other kinds of information according to the individual’s further interest, like computing, cars, surfing, photography, women, etc., producing a mixed site, well reflecting the sociology of veterans’ interest.
8) Multimedia Groups
There are a lot of sites, that are “galleries” providing information through means of different medias. These are either medias available on the spot (usually pictures, sound-bytes, and short writings - stories, poems, songs, or abstracts) or medias not readily available but made obtainable through fast service mail order - these are usually commercial sites (and can immediately link the unaware surfer to some gigantic shopping system, which can take hours to get out of). These sites are most commonly multimedia sites, with a mixed variety of medias; so one specific site can contain pictures, maps, writings, etc. at the same time. Some books can be read on the spot, but that is rare and only apply to smaller works.[8] Pictures are often organized into topical ‘libraries’ and always avaible on site.[9] Films are not (yet!) avaible, but can be ordered easily. And finally there are a number of sites, that contain information like reviews, bibliographies[10], magazine reviews and bibliographies, publication lists, maps, site lists, and much-much more of somewhat a chaotic nature, therefore impossible to specify more directly.
Legend:
Historical Data Multimedia Groups:
Essays on Vietnam - books
Veterans’ Organisations - pictures
Memorials - films
Counseling Services - misc.
Confessions & Autobiographies
Personal Home Pages
Historical Data
“FAQs by Category: Vietnam” [--
FAQ: Admin Info and Posting Guidelines. Vietnam / reading list: soc.history.war.vietnam FAQ
“Vietnam” [--
Australia. soc.history.war.vietnam FAQ: Admin Info and Posting Guidelines
“Vietnam War” [--
Resources at The New York Public Library. Internet Resources: Vietnam War Documents and Images from the Byrd Archive (MarshallUniversity), Vietnam War Documents and Images (MississippiStateUniversity)
“Vietnam Resources” [--
Resources on the Vietnam Conflict at TexasTechUniversity. Resources include the Archive of the Vietnam Conflict and the Centre for the study...
“Vietnam War Links” [--
“Responses to War” Bibliography for 8009/8157 at University of Adelaide, South Australia, 5005
[--
Essays on Vietnam
“Vietnam: Yesterday and Today” [--
Vietnam... We’ve all been there... Vietnam is still with us. It has created doubts about American judgement, about American credibility, about American power -- not only at home, but throughout the world. It has poisoned our domestic debate. So we...
“25 years ago this month: Long Beach reacts to KentState” by Thomas Sizgorich 49erOnline (5/8/1995)
[--
Shootings at war protest provoked anger, demonstrations in 1970. A quarter century ago, young Americans were fighting and dying in the jungles of Vietnam and Cambodia. American B52s...
“Korean War Project - The Forgotten DMZ” [--
“The Forgotten DMZ” article by Major Vandon E. Jenerette, photograph by Hal Barker 1989. Korea DMZ Part 1. Military Review; Published by US Army Command and GeneralStaffCollege. (Volume LXVIII May 1988 No 5 pp32-43).
“The Vietnam War, Reascendant Conservatism, White Victims” by Terry Collins
[--
“Vietnam changed the United States’ approach to war” by Ed Timms
[--
“Vietnam War”
Media Perspectives 20 years after the End of Vietnam War. Indochina Snapshot. Australian Involvement (1/3), Australian Involvement (2/3), Australian Involvement (3/3). An Australian Protesters’ Perspective.
Veterans’ Organizations
“Veterans Organizations and Support Groups” [--
Information and links to Vietnam Veterans’ organizations and support groups throughout the world. This information is provided “as is”. No endorsement of these groups is intended. Please contact groups at address.
“American Legion Post 1135 Vietnam Vets Page” [--
The Vietnam War Memorial Washington, D.C.. Vietnam Vets Web Links. Warning!!! Hey Guys This Is NO JOKE!! Just a friendly warning from a fellow combat vet. (USMC, 1 Corps, 68-69) If you are a Viet. Vet. that still has...
“Australian Vietnam Veterans Organizations” [--
Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War. - The Vietnam War was the longest war in modern history. It raised political passion and moral controversy throughout the western world and played an important part in...
“New ZealandVietnam Veterans Organizations” [--
The Ex-Vietnam Services Association, Inc. is open to all servicepersons who served with the Allied Forces in the Vietnamese waters or The Republic of Vietnam, or (if they assisted Allied Forces) persons from the Red Cross, Salvation Army...
“Vietnam Veteran’s Association” [--
Dedicated to Serving All Veterans of the Vietnam Era.
“Vietnam Veterans Home Page” [-- [--
Memorials
“In Memoriam to the Vietnam POW/MIAs” [--
This page is to honor the POWs and MIAs in the Vietnam War... Over 2,4000 U.S. personnel have not been accounted for from the Vietnam War. They served their country bravely and never came back to their families, who, to this day...
“Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial” [--
IN HONOUR OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES WHO SERVED IN THE VIETNAM WAR. The Names of those, who gave their lives and of those, who remain missing are inscribed in the order they were taken from us. Our Nation...
“Quiet Pride Vietnam Veteran Rings” [--
QUIET PRIDE. Millions of Americans both men and women proudly served this country in the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, many did not receive the praise and recognition they deserved for their unselfish sacrfice... Finally there is a ...
“The FRD POW/MIA Database” [--
The Federal Research Division POW/MIA Database.
“Canadian POW/MIA Information Center” [--
Concerned, Caring Canadians. Some Gave All. Some Still Give.
Counseling Services
“The Veterans Counseling Service” [--
VETERANS COUNSELING SERVICE. “WHEN THEIR COUNTRY CALLED - THEY ANSWERED. 9.2 million military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam Era (8/5/64 through 5/7/75). An estimated 3.1 million served in Southeast Asia...
“National Veterans Legal Services Program” [--
NOT ALL BATTLES REQUIRE THE SAME WEAPONS. Gulf War illnesses. The effects of Agent Orange, radiation, and other toxic exposures. PTSD, “Bad Paper”, Homelessness. These battles continue long after the war...
“The Doctor Is In : Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”
[-- - (VHS 28 min.)
The term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was first used for Vietnam veterans who came home from the war suffering from depression and rage. But PTSD is not confined to just those involved in wars...
Confessions & Autobiographies
“The Vietnam Experience” [--
I served in Vietnam, as a Marine, during 1969 and 1970. Like many, I returned home feeling confused, bitter, not understanding what was happening, nor could I make sense of the maniacal experience I had just encountered in this strange place...
“Vietnam Memoirs” [--
These pages are dedicated to the men who served with Duster and Quad 50’s, particularly the 5th Battalion 2nd Artillery. Except for the letters home and the story “The Treasure”, most of the accounts below were written in 1976. If you also...
“Vietnam” [--
A Country in transition. After Effect of the War: Do Thi Be Ba, 23, alleges that her 18-year-old brother Do Van Be San, who suffered severe birth defects, was a victim of Agent Orange. They live near the village of Lon My, which was...
“The Vietnam I Remeber” [-- (See at ‘Multimedia Groups’)
“Responding to McNamara’s Confessions on Vietnam War”
[--
Mannonite Central Committee News Service. (May 5, 1995) Reflection: How Do We Respond To McNamara’s Confessions On Vietnam War? By Earl Martin, who worked with MCC in Vietnam from 1966 to 1969 and 1973 to 1975.
“N.X.Oank Associates Home Page” [--
Cirruculum Vitae. Name: Ngnyen Xuan Oanh. Date of Birth: July 14, 1921. Place of Birth: Ha Bac, VIETNAM. Present Position: President, N.X. OANH ASSOCIATES LTD. Adress: 26 Nguyen Thi Dieu, District 3. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam...
“War, Literature, and the Arts” [--
An International Journal of the Humanities. Fall/Winter 1995 issue commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon. This issue features memoirs of two veterans - one presently completing a doctorate in clinical psychology...
“Vietnam” [--
by Hoang Kim. 20 years Later. Memories of the fall of Saigon.
Personal Home Pages
“Back in the World” [--
Never Forget. Info about this site: Personal Home Page... Site topics: Computer Networking, Vietnam Veteran Issues, {etc.}
“Main Tour of Duty Page” [--
Tour of Duty. Welcome to Camp Barnett. Home of Tour of Duty - and those lovely Gis of the Vietnam War. This “fan-produced” page is - Definitely - under construction. In days to come we hope to add photos, sound bytes and...