Discover your inside story with AncestryDNA®

February 4, 2010

New Vietnam War Records Free during February on Footnote.com

FOOTNOTE.COM AND THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES RELEASE NEW VIETNAM WAR PHOTOS AND RECORDS ONLINE

-Over 27,000 Photos And Records Are Added To The Largest Online Vietnam War Collection-

This Press Release just arrived from Footnote.comicon . I will be exploring the collection myself later this morning!

Lindon, UT – February 4, 2010 – Today Footnote.com announced a major addition to its Vietnam War Collection: Army Photos and Unit Service Awards. Now totaling over 100,000 photos and documents, this collection helps visitors gain a better perspective and appreciation for this often misunderstood event in U.S. History.

“Our partnership with the National Archives has proven to be invaluable as we work to make these records more accessible,” explains Russell Wilding, CEO of Footnote.com. “Previously you were required to travel to Washington, D.C. to see these records. Now anyone can access the original records through the internet.”

Army Unit Service Awards include documents relating to Presidential Unit Citations, Valorous Unit Awards and Meritorious Unit Commendations. These were usually awarded to units going above and beyond the call of duty, and in most cases, showing exceptional valor. These documents contain:

Dates of service
Duties performed
Letters of recommendation

The Army Photos feature various activities of the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. In nearly every case there is a caption or description of what was happening and the names of the soldiers featured in the photos. Everything ranging from daily duties to Bob Hope’s Christmas program is captured, providing a glimpse into what life was like for the soldiers.

“My dad is a Vietnam War hero, but I rarely can get him to share his experiences from the war,” says Justin Schroepfer, Marketing Director at Footnote.com. “Going through these photos allowed me to visualize a little more what he went through and the sacrifices he made for his country.”

In addition to these new records, the Footnote Vietnam War Collection also includes:

The Interactive Vietnam Veterans Memorial – featuring service records for each name on the wall
Photos of the Marine Corps in Vietnam - color
Photos of the Marine Corps in Vietnam - black and white

Footnote.com will continue to work with the National Archives to add more Vietnam War content online.

“These documents and photos tell a part of the Vietnam War story that you just can’t find in textbooks,” explains Russell Wilding, CEO of Footnote.com. “It’s imperative that we preserve and share this side of history for future generations. We are encouraging everyone to come to Footnote.com and enhance these stories by adding their own comments, photos and documents.”

The Vietnam War Collection will be made free to the public during the month of February. To view these documents, visit www.footnote.com/vietnam.

No comments: