Vietnam Veterans Memorial: An emotional tribute to a difficult American conflict
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial strikes an emotional chord with many visitors, who realize that many of the names on there are young men who were drafted and uprooted from their lives and died for their country as the soldiers did at neighboring memorials. The famous granite wall lists the names of 58,261 fallen soldiers from the Vietnam War.
The memorial, like the war itself, came loaded with controversy. The memorial was designed by Yale student Maya Lin, who came under criticism because of her Asian heritage. Her unconventional design, too, caused further negative support, because many felt it was not as a proper memorial should be presented.
Her V-shaped design takes visitors down into a “wound” in the earth, but as visitors walk through it, they emerge back out on the other side, symbolizing the wound “closing and healing”. Those who look at the memorial see their own reflections, showing past and present. The names are listed in chronological order, without rank, unit or decorations. Visitors are allowed to touch the memorial and make rubbings.
At its completion in 1993, 11 years after the design selection, through today, visitors are undoubtedly moved by the simplicity and power of the wall, dispelling any lingering negative emotions. The memorial is visited by hundreds or thousands a day, but always with an appropriate and solemn hush.
Situated near the memorial is The Three Men, a bronze statue of three soldiers: a White American, African-American and Hispanic-American soldier. On the south side of the Wall is the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, dedicated to the women and nurses who served during the war.
On any given day, a family or friend leaves behind a small tribute – flowers, a card, photographs, which are then collected by the National Park Service to its Museum and Resource Center.
Posted by Rin-rin Yu
