After reading The Things They Carried in English class, we had one project: choose a fallen soldier whose name was on the Vietnam War memorial, research his life, and compile that information into a memorial video with an appropriate tone.

After seeing some examples from the year before and hearing how our presentations would go, I thought, there has to be a better way to honor those who've served. While some will go to the site for their own reasons, many growing up now will only be attracted to the temporary solace of social media, not knowing true pain and suffering. I wanted to honor real bravery by making a website that could showcase the tragedy of war while remembering those who served their country.

Knowing the power of interactive media and having a firm belief in the power of technology in storytelling, I decided that, in addition to creating my own video project, I'd build a website dedicated to showcasing the valor, lives, and history of the men in the war.