Unseen photographs of the Vietnam War: Long forgotten pictures taken by American soldiers and packed away for decades are finally unearthed

Photo editor Kendra Rennick began soliciting Vietnam War veterans for images they took during their tour of duty as a way to show an untold side of history

The project was initially inspired by Rennick's close friend, whose father died and left behind a box of slides he had taken during the war

The veteran returned home with post traumatic stress disorder, but never spoke of his time in Vietnam, leaving behind unanswered questions and untold stories marked only by the box of slides

'There are so many memories that have never been told because of the way media and even the government viewed this conflict,' she said

The project also explores the tension between the slides' original intention to be projected on a wall for group viewing, and the reality that they are often left hidden and stored away

Rennick views the soldiers sympathetically, and said, 'They were simply young men in a foreign country,' before adding that many of them appeared to be in a foreign country for the first time in their lives

 Willing participants and family members of veterans have sent Rennick slides, which she goes through and edits to form her collection

Rennick has dedicated the ongoing project to David Willard Russell and 'those we lost before we were able to hear their stories'

While iconic images taken by photojournalists have formed a lasting portrayal of the war, Rennick is most interested in snap shots and candid moments captured by the soldiers themselves

By 1969, more than half a million members of the US military were involved in the Vietnam War, which spanned more than two decades

The US, which was an ally to South Vietnam in the struggle against North Vietnam and the Viet Cong, was intent on containing the spread of Communism

G Huested, one of four major contributors to the slides project, was an artillery forward observer, serving in Vietnam from October 1969 to October 1970

D. Thornton served in the First Air Cavalry division of the army and spent a few months working with the US Stars and Stripes in Saigon

Rennick is soliciting images from more living veterans willing to share their slides in the growing archival project

J. Townsend served in the 35th Infantry Regiment of the US Army from 1968 to 1969

A peace agreement was signed in January 1973 by the US, North and South Vietnam and the Vietcong. By the end of March, nearly all American troops were withdrawn, although war resumed in 1974 and Saigon was overtaken by communist forces in 1975