

Generations of educators will shoulder the responsibility of the U.S. Bombing of Laos during the American Secret War
From the desk of Stephen White , Emeritus Board member, Legacies of War Stephen White instructing, Vientiane, Lao PDR, Photo: Diamond International School As an American educator, when I accepted a leadership role at an international school in Laos, I never imagined that part of my responsibility would include teaching children about the dangers posed by American bombs still buried in their communities. Seeking to better understand this reality, I joined the Board of Director
Legacies of War Admin
Apr 25 min read


International Voluntary Services’ impact on Laos, Viet Nam, and those who served
From the desk of Richard A. Berliner, IVS volunteer in Viet Nam from 1966 to 1968, author of A Different Journey: Vietnam 1965-1973 International Voluntary Services (IVS) was founded February 16, 1953 Hill overlooking An Khe, Richard A. Berliner In the fall of 2022 former volunteers with the International Voluntary Services (IVS) came together in Birmingham, Alabama, with at least two things on their minds. One was to reminisce about the time they served together some fifty
Legacies of War Admin
Feb 175 min read


Leaving Laos, I Carry More Than Memories
From the desk of: Jewelry Pouna Keodara , 2025 Titus and Linda Peachey Peace Fellow, Advocacy Ambassador, Legacies of War We often grow up hearing stories from our parents and loved ones about lifetimes before our own, tales that blur truth and myth. Crossing rivers, trekking through jungles to school—each story shaped by the eyes that tell it. As a young girl, I heard tales of war from my family's homeland, but I could not grasp their meaning. During childhood summers, I vis
Legacies of War Admin
Dec 15, 20257 min read


The Courage to Question
From the desk of Alexandra Hansen , Legacies Advocacy Ambassador Growing up south of Houston, Texas, I was surrounded by an infectious enthusiasm for innovation. My father was a career engineer at NASA, and has contributed to many incredible innovations that have sent men and women (some who were parents of my high school classmates) into orbit. I have always been thrilled by the belief that even the toughest challenges can be overcome with a team and a shared vision. I follo
Legacies of War Admin
Oct 29, 20255 min read


Fred Branfman Was a Great Inspiration to Me
From the desk of Jeremy Kuzmarov In the winter-spring semester of 2003, I was a graduate student at Brandeis University working on a thesis on the Vietnam War and modern War on Drugs. For that project, which was eventually published as a book with the University of Massachusetts Press, I began reading deeply into the literature of the Indochina Wars. One day, I came upon a slim volume in the library called Voices From the Plain of Jars: Life Under an Air War by Fred Branfman
Legacies of War Admin
Sep 29, 20256 min read

