Several University of Wisconsin groups welcomed the first speech of the fall semester of UW's Distinguished Lecture Series Tuesday, titled "The Living Legacy of the Vietnam War."

This year's DLS focuses on American society post-World War II and the Vietnam War and appropriately featured Robert Schulzinger, professor and director of the International Affairs Program at the University of Colorado, and author of a newly released book, "A Time for Peace: The Legacy of the Vietnam War."

As one of America's most tumultuous moments, Schulzinger recognized the Vietnam War for what it was — an important lesson for a young country.

"American leaders conducted their foreign and military policies from the 1970s to the early years of the 21st century with an eye of their unhappy experiences through the Vietnam War," Schulzinger said.

In addition, Schulzinger noted parallels between the Vietnam War and the ongoing war in Iraq, drawing a comparison between the public anxieties in America during both conflicts.

Schulzinger also compared the Johnson administration during the Vietnam War with the current Bush administration. Schulzinger said he believes both governments used false information to gain popular support for their respective wars.

"Skeptics recall the Johnson administration's exaggerations at the time of the Tonkin Gulf incident," Schulzinger said. "The U.S. Senate Committee on Intelligence concluded in the month before the Iraq War most of the claims made by U.S. Intelligence regarding Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction were either overstated or not supported by underlying intelligence."

Considering Schulzinger's discussion and UW's own heavy involvement during the Vietnam War, students can learn more about the war at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.

"A lot of times when we talk about foreign policy, our debates are about wars and we never address the military — we never talk with veterans," UW history graduate student Vanessa Walker said. "This provides a really good meeting place for students to hear first-hand about military affairs and the diverse opinions veterans have."

Jennifer Miller, also a history graduate student, said the museum allows the general public to better understand the different components of American foreign policy.

"We often think about foreign policy as diplomats meeting in rooms and big conferences," Miller said. "But the American military has more people on the ground all over the world who are having these foreign experiences and that makes up a huge component of foreign policy that is often not addressed."