The history of warfare has fascinated me since I was a child. I listened to my Nana's WWII stories, and her experiences of growing up in the aftermath of WWI. I listened to my parents' recollections of war-affected countries they had travelled to, and 'potted histories' as my Dad called them, of the places I saw on the news. In an attempt to understand how and why these events occurred, and the experiences of those involved, I began to read, watch and listen to war-related books, documentaries, films and music. My knowledge of the Vietnam War however, seemed to be framed more by music of the 1960s and Hollywood films of the 1970s and 1980s, almost all from the U.S. than Australian stories or documentary films. As I grew older and more aware of history as a subject, I began to question why the American experience dominated and the Australian perspective was largely absent. I wondered why my learning and knowledge of the Vietnam War was so dominated by 'unofficial' history, primarily cultural artefacts, rather than by curriculum based 'official' history.