Thursday, April 28, 2005

BLADE WINS PULITZER: Series exposing Vietnam atrocities earns top honor

POSTED BY ANNA ACKER

I went to a panel held at Chapman University given by Orange County's Vets for Peace earlier this week to hear four Vietnam veterans speak about their experiences. They also discussed the parallels between Vietnam and Iraq and it was a lively discussion.

One of the presenters spoke about war crimes occurring in Vietnam and had actually started a file with the military regarding the atrocities he had seen. I spoke with him after the discussion and found out that he was a part of a VVAW chapter in Hawaii back in "The Day." I had a strong feeling he was VVAW because of the passion and truth in his words.

Anyway, his records were utilized by three journalists to uncover the atrocities of an elite U.S. Army fighting unit in Vietnam. Their investigative report, "Buried Secrets, Brutal Truths" won a pullitzer surprise last year.

I don't know if this is old news for you guys, but I thought it was interesting none the less. If I had made it to Texas I would have loved to bring this up to Burkett, but of course I would have to sneak over and sit by his friends so he would assume I was an "ally" and call on me.