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The Viet Nam Veterans Memorial Wall The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall contains the names of the 58,226 men and women1 who were killed and remain missing from that war. The names are etched on black granite panels that compose the Wall. The panels are arranged into two arms, extending from a central point to form a wide angle. Each arm points to either the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial in the distance to bring the Vietnam Memorial into an historical context on the National Mall. The Wall is built into the earth, below ground level. The area within the Wall's angle has been contoured to form a gentle sloped approach towards the center of the Wall. While entering the memorial at ground level from either end of its arms, the descent to the center reveals more and more of the Wall until it towers more that ten feet above the walkway. At the center, within the protection of the arms of the memorial and surrounded by the grassy slope, is a place of quiet, calmness, and serenity. Name after name after name appears in an almost never-ending account. The listing appears chaotic, just like war. But there is order to the chaos. The names are listed in the order in which the men and women died or were declared missing. The first name is located in the center of the memorial, at the top of the Wall, under the date "1959," the year of the first death2. The names continue line by line down each panel, as if each was a page in a book, towards the right end of the memorial. The names resume at the left end of the memorial and continue toward the center. It is here, at the bottom of the wall, where the last death is recorded, next to the date "1975." Other than the names, nothing on the Wall describes who the men and women were. No name appears any more meaningful or important than any other. The names are distinguished only by how the men and women were lost. A diamond next to a name indicates a person was killed. A plus next to a name indicates a person is missing. Over 1,000 of the names on the Wall are of people who are missing. Every day, family and friends of those on the Wall, and the general public, visit the memorial. Often, they leave flowers and momentos to remember their loved ones. They leave letters to say thank-you, good-bye, "I'm sorry," and whatever else is in their heart. Some take pencil rubbings of the name of someone special. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall honors all who served, and in particular, those who were lost. The memorial puts a human face on what was America's longest war. THE HEALING WALL The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was conceived to help heal the wounds America suffered from the divisiveness and controversy of the Vietnam War. The memorial as a whole is a symbol of national reconciliation where people, regardless of their views about the war, can come together to remember and honor those who served. This symbolism is further strengthened through the design elements of the Wall which suggest the process of healing. "…the memorial appears as a rift in the earth - a long, polished black stone wall, emerging from and receding into the earth," Maya Ying Lin, the designer of the Wall, remarked in her submission to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Design Competition. She later said of her design, "I had an impulse to cut open the earth…an initial violence that in time would heal. The grass would grow back, but the cut would remain…." "Approaching the memorial, the ground slopes gently downward, and the low walls emerging on either side, growing out of the earth, extend and converge at a point below and ahead," wrote Maya Lin. It is here at the center of the memorial where the two arms of the Wall tower above and extend outward in a welcoming manner, providing for a safe and protected embrace, "a quiet place, meant for personal reflection and reckoning," according to Lin. On the granite wall itself, the layout of the names perhaps most strongly conveys the significance of the memorial. The names are listed chronologically, according to the date the servicemen and women died or were declared missing. Thus the story of the Vietnam War, from beginning to end, is recorded on the Wall. Finding a name would be like finding bodies on a battlefield, according to Lin. More importantly, the names of those who served together and died together would tend to be together on the Wall. The names begin at the top of the Wall in the center of the memorial. The listing continues down each panel, as if each were a page in a book, towards the right end of the Wall. The listing resumes at the left end of the Wall and continues back towards the center. Here, at the bottom of the Wall, is the last death. As described by Lin, "…the war's beginning and end meet; the war is 'complete,' coming full circle…." By illustrating that the war has come to completion, perhaps the Wall encourages visitors to move on to the next step of coping with their feelings about the war and those who served. In addition, the circular layout of the names may also suggest that the healing of the nation can also come full circle. The black granite of the Wall not only records the past, but it literally reflects the present as images of the nearby grass, trees, sky, and visitors are reflected in vivid color. When looking into the Wall, the images of the present are intermixed with the names of the past. This may symbolically bridge the past with the present and help visitors deal with the past. The reflections of the Wall may also encourage those who visit to reflect on the Vietnam war, those who served, the healing that the nation has achieved, and the healing that has yet to be accomplished. OFFERINGS OF LOVE AND HEALING As concrete was being poured for the foundation of the new Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a U.S. Navy officer walked up to the edge of the trench. He paused, threw something in, and saluted. It was his deceased brother's medal, a Purple Heart. It was also the first offering left at the Wall. Who would have guessed that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial would become an altar of sorts; a place where people would leave offerings of love and remembrance? Who could have known that this Purple Heart would be the first of tens of thousands of items left at the Wall? The Veterans who had pushed for a memorial had not guessed. The designer, Maya Lin, did not know. The park rangers and volunteers who worked at the Wall knew only that the special objects had to be saved. This was the beginning of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection. This collection is unlike any museum collection anywhere. Among the artifacts are photographs, letters, MIA/POW bracelets, medals, helmets, dogtags, boots, canned food, unopened beer cans, cigarettes, birthday cards, toys, bullets and casings. Soldiers who returned home leave objects for those who did not. Many objects are from parents, spouses, siblings, and children. Some offerings are direct communications between the living and the dead; tangible bonds between those who were killed and those who remember. They tell us not only something about the people on the Wall, but as well as any history book, they tell us about an era. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection was developed to preserve this special memorabilia. The collection is unique in that nothing is chosen by a museum curator. Many of these artifacts are chosen by those who lived through this turbulent time in American History. Each day, park rangers collect the offerings, place them in individual bags, and tag them with the date, a description, and the number of the panel under which the offering was left. They are then transferred to the National Park Service's Museum Resource Center in Lanham MD, about twelve miles from the Wall. There, the items are carefully organized and preserved. The artifacts are so historically and socially significant, that the Smithsonian Museum of American History has a large sample of the collection on display. Through the highly personal communications from the living to the dead, visitors will be able to see the impact of the Vietnam War on this country. Why do people leave these offerings? The reasons behind them are as varied as the items themselves. Men pay off old debts, leaving dollars, cigarettes, and cans of beer. A woman left two sonograms for the Grandfather her children would never know. A park ranger tells the story of another woman who left her wedding ring at the Wall. She was getting re-married the next day and wanted to say goodbye and let go of her first husband who died in Vietnam. Perhaps the letters and cards say the most. Their words portray feelings of rage, despair, loneliness, loss and guilt. People leave cards for birthdays, Father's Days, and other holidays that will never be celebrated. But by communicating with loved ones through the Wall, people are able to confront feelings they may have repressed for years. They can make peace with themselves and others as pain and guilt are released. Over the years, the letters are increasingly revealing love, forgiveness, and hope. In this way, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is much more than a way to honor those men and women who served their country. It has become a way for a whole nation to heal. |