Memoirs From Nam: History/Archival Sites for Vietnam Vets: Byron Edgington

Thursday, November 20, 2014

History/Archival Sites for Vietnam Vets: Byron Edgington

"We Remember" ... and We Should Share

With the fortieth anniversary of the fall of Saigon approaching next April, there may possibly be a renewed interest in Vietnam veterans and their stories.

I compiled this short list of resources for my fellow vets who may wish to contribute their Vietnam stories, or to read the accounts of others.

The list is by no means exhaustive. A quick check of a local library or college history site will produce many more, and likely better resources. A few of these sites are taken from various college history departments.

Texas Tech seems to have a pretty thorough website dedicated to Vietnam vet stories, for example. Rutgers University does as well.

If a local college offers veterans a chance to record their stories, we should do that. Many schools do, and it isn’t difficult to track them down.

One site includes methods for teaching students about the Vietnam conflict, and could be used for our grandkids’ teachers, or for those of us who’ve been asked to visit high schools.

I was asked last year to visit a local school to talk about my Vietnam experience, and the time I spent with those kids was priceless. I encourage any veteran to seek out these opportunities, and take advantage of them.

With the war in Vietnam fading into history, and with current similar conflicts around the globe today, our stories must be told, because they still resonate. These history and archival sites should help keep our experience in Vietnam alive:

Memoirs From Nam
The Vietnam Graffiti Project
The Vietnam Center and Archive
The Vietnam Center and Archive/General
Research Military Records: Vietnam War
Military Resources: Vietnam War
Electronic Data Records: Military Objectives & Activities: Vietnam War
Digital Archive: Documents on Vietnam War
The Virtual Wall
The Wall of Faces
The Vietnam War Song Project
Veterans History Project
Vietnam War Student Project
Vietnam War Commemoration
Vietnam Era Veterans Oral Histories
The Vietnam War: Oral Histories
Rutgers: Oral History: Participate
Veterans History Project
University of Kentucky: Oral History Project

Byron Edgington

The SkyWriter

Website
Blog
Byron's Book

Other Articles by Byron Edgington:

Vietnam: Arriving at the Truth
Do Guns Equal Safety?
Laotian Rescue Mission
Ho Chi Minh
Terror and Hilarity
A Return to Vietnam
The War That Will Not Let Us Rest
War: A Waste of Youth
The Right Seat is the Wrong Seat
Jim, Frank, and The Snake
Smokey, The Alcoholic Pup

“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale

Feel free to comment on this post. You are also invited to write about anything you want to share. Memoirs From Nam is YOUR blog. You are writing America's history.

Send it to me in an e-mail and I will be proud to post it for you.

3 comments:

AnonymousNovember 20, 2014 at 8:20 AM
never forget the nam as long as I live I CRY WHEN I see the wall RIPfor all who never came home SP/5 ANAYA
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AnonymousJanuary 10, 2015 at 9:13 AM
Could you please tell me where this Vietnam memorial is. Much thanks. Sylvie, from France.
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AnonymousMay 24, 2020 at 6:57 AM
Thank you for this beautiful site
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In loving memory of:

Douglas "Doc" Scott Kempf
Sp4 US Army combat medic
199th LIB D4/12
KIA Vietnam 9/5/1969

... and 58,272 others who never returned.

The Vietnam Era left a profound footprint on all of us, during the longest war in U.S. history.

As a Vietnam War widow, it is my wish to provide a healing place where you can write about anything you want.

I encourage you to read what others have written and I invite you to share your own thoughts, stories, and opinions.

If you're a Vietnam Veteran and you've published a book, I will proudly promote it here on Memoirs From Nam.

Email me with "Stories from Nam" or "My Book" in the subject line.

cjheck60porsche@gmail.com

With my warmest regards and respect,
CJ Parrish (Kempf) O'Brien Heck

About Me

A native of Coshocton OH, I am a published poet, writer, blogger, freelance editor, and the author of five books. I live in The Villages, Florida, with my partner, Robert Cosmar, who is also an author.

My Children's Books:
Barking Spiders
**Read a Preview
Barking Spiders 2 (sequel)
**Read a Preview
Me Too! Preschool Poetry
**Read a Preview

Adult Books:
Anatomy of a Poet
**Read a Preview
Bits and Pieces
**Read an Excerpt

Blogs:

CJ's Writer Thoughts
Knowing Whispers
Memoirs From Nam

Website:
Barking Spiders Poetry - CJ Heck Books

My email:
cjheck60porsche@gmail.com

Notes From All Over ...

April 2015
I see your smile and I know it's a reflection of your heart. I read your poetry and I know it is a reflection of your soul. I feel your concerns and know that I have made a lifelong friend. Thank you for touching those of us that are not sure where we fit in. --Doyle Watters

January 2014
CJ Is a LADY whom I've never met in person, but I have a sense of her. She has opened doors for Vietnam Vets, like myself, through her webpage to read and to write of our experiences. THIS is HUGE in that it allows us to tell OUR stories with NO filters, free to articulate our history/our feelings/our pain!

We can get the BIG chunks out and NO ONE will question us, because CJ has her own CREDS and we ALL know that and respect that! NO BS, or attacks, allowed on her site! CJ is many things to many of us; to me---she's a LADY! ~Michael Van Strien

January 2014
I wish I had known Doug, but I know exactly what he was like, what he stood for and did. He had a rare quality given to only a select few that gave him courage beyond description --fearless and driven to help fellow vets. The worse it was, the braver a combat medic was. Nothing could stop them from getting to you, nothing. Again, a debt I can never repay.

We're in this together, no matter what, Ms. CJ. Thanks as always. Without you I would simply be one of many unknowns who came through this world and would have left here in the same manner. I've said all along, you are a part of us always. ~Michael Lansford

December 2014
Thank you, CJ, for all you do. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. ~Chip Schmerder (retired vet, D.O.D.)

November 2014
CJ, Thanks again for your devotion and energy to make us Vietnam vets feel welcomed and appreciated. You are an angel in our midst. Please accept a copy of my novel as a small token of appreciation for all your efforts. Memoirs From Nam is a place we can all believe in, as it provides a forum to express our feelings. I think you'll find yourself somewhere among the pages of Landon's Odyssey. Enjoy! ~J.A. Gasperetti

May 2014
CJ, Your work is amazing. We have all been there and relive scenes like these all the time. I believe that the rest of the world needs to SEE what we live. CJ, I am humbled by what you are and what you do. Peace. Namaste. ~Clarence Bopp

May 2014
CJ, Everything I've ever read on your blog has had a purpose of healing behind it. You should feel like part of the team cuz you are. The baggage God gave you to carry from that war, I don't think many Vietnam Vets would want to endure. You work so hard to help us deal with the past, but even the shrink needs to talk to somebody at times. I'm not a professional, but I paid attention as I was traveling through life, and I learned from all the bad parts, especially the eleven years of PTSD therapy. If you ever want to talk, I'm here for you, just as you're always here for us. ~Larry Blouir/WarHippy

December 2010
I've only been following you for a few months now, but I feel I've known you a lifetime. Kindred spirits? Common upbringing? Whatever the reason, thank you for being you. Thank you for your blog. Thank you for giving us a place to open up and let the pain out. ~David Westfall

April 2014
CJ, Doug was our brother and as his wife, that makes you our sister. We are always here for you when you are in need. It's not often we get women like you, who have had a personal loss like you have. I personally want to thank you for sharing your thoughts. It's not only cathartic for you to talk about it, it's also cathartic for us to hear. Any time you want, I would be honored to escort you to The Wall in DC. I haven't been there to visit my brothers in many years. It's time for me to go again. Peace be with you my sister. ~Nico Lorris

May 2014
CJ - I want you to know how much I like everything you post on this page. Some of it has helped with my PTSD. Please keep up the good work. ~Nam Vet, Harry Andrus.

August 2012
Words that fall gently upon the soul are as silver feathers of hope. We all have buried so much. As these hurts surface, it is a great gift to have your hand to hold. As we touch, and rest, in each other's open hearts, healing blossoms forth and all else falls away as dust. ~Anonymous

August 2013
CJ, Thank you for this website. My husband is a Vietnam Vet and will be sending you some stories. He also likes what you have done here. ~Nancy Payne Shivers

July 2011
What an amazing tribute. Sincerely, Lisa Barretta

May 2014
Either knowingly or not, you have helped us (me for sure) by asking the question, "Do You Still Think About Vietnam?" We are one. Here's a hug. God bless you. ~James Hathorn.

May 2014
CJ, you keep doing what you're doing. There are many of us that appreciate your efforts and understand your personal loss. SEMPER FI. ~Donald "Tack" Tackett

May 2014
CJ, you do a wonderful job with Memoirs From Nam. For years I have written about the bad times and the good times I spent in country. Several times you have posted things I wrote. It's good not only to write but also read what you have written. Somehow it gives us strength to overcome those deep hidden problems. CJ, you keep posting, because I for one will be a faithful follower. Semper Fi. ~Dave Ramsey

May 2014
This series of extremely well written articles are truly must reads for all vets, especially Vietnam vets. I share them with my dad (a Nam vet) who enjoys them very much. He is 88 years old. These vets are aging. We can't let their stories get lost. We can't let the kids think Hollywood's version, or Jane Fonda's ilk, is what Nam and our brave soldiers were like and about. ~Heather Anthony