Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Ever since learning about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in middle school, I've wanted to see it. I remember seeing pictures and video clips of it, and learning about Maya Lin, the 21 year old undergraduate student studying architecture, who's design was chosen out of all the submissions to the memorial's design contest. I've always imagined what it would be like to stand in front of those black walls and now I know.

The memorial was completed and dedicated in 1982. It is tallest in the center, reaching a height of 10 feet, and either side slopes downward to a height of only 8 inches. We walked down the path, and as soon as we reached the wall we began to see the names.

So many names. In total, the wall holds the names of the 58,272 men and women who were killed in action or went missing in action during the war. Eight of those names are women. They are arranged chronologically, so you have to look up the name you wish to find in thick paper registers that sit at the beginning of the memorial's path to discover where the name is on the wall.     

All those present at the memorial during our visit showed a level of reverence that we hadn't seen at any of the previous sites we visited. It was the only memorial we visited during our trip where everyone was quiet and respectful. 

The black stone was beautiful and so reflective. We saw ourselves in the stone as we read the names. This reflectiveness was not an accident. It is meant to symbolically join the past and present together as you stare at its surface.

We didn't have any names to look up. Brian doesn't know of any of his relatives that served in the Vietnam War. I only know of two of my Dad's first cousins did. They were drafted, and both returned home alive. I wasn't disappointed that we didn't have any names to look up.

There were a lot of flowers, cards, posters and other tributes lying along the bottom of the wall. This poster, written and signed by children, really got to me.

All along the wall, there was a feeling of gravity and somberness, but that was mingled with honor and respect.

Nearby the wall, there is a bronze statue of three servicemen called The Three Soldiers. It was added to the site in 1984 in order to give the memorial a more traditional. Each of the three figures represents one ethnic group that served: Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic. The center figure is dressed to represent the marines, and the two outer figures are dressed to represent the army. They face the wall, looking with respect on the names of those who lost their lives.

Another statue sits nearby, this time of three nurses and a wounded soldier. Named the Vietnam Women's Memorial, it's dedicated to the women who served in Vietnam. The three figures represent faith, hope, and charity.

It's a beautiful memorial and coveys the respect, honor, and heartbreak felt for those lost in Vietnam.