Vietnam+War+Memorial

THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL



How the Wall Began The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was founded by Jan Scruggs, who had served in Vietnam from 1969-1970. The idea behind the memorial was to acknowledge and recognize the service that the Vietnam soldiers offered during the Vietnam war. It had taken three and a half years to fully complete the Vietnam memorial.



Interesting enough, the Vietnam memorial was not designed by Jan Scruggs (although he did contribute money, time, and of course the idea), but from many people across the United States. A huge competition had taken place, available to those 18 years or older to enter. By December 29, 1980, 2,573 people had applied for registration forms. By May 1, 1981 the winning design was chosen (shown below).

// The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is for people to see how many of our men died on this foreign land. Many artists saw this and wanted to show the people with sculptures or paintings. This is a great way for people to visually know what happened in the Vietnam War. //

Maya Ying Lin made the official winning design for the Veteran Memorial wall. Maya was an undergraduate at Yale University and believed that her design created a park within a park. In otherwords, she described it as, "A quiet protected place onto itself, yet harmonious with the overall plan of Constitution Gardens. The walls have a mirror-like surface (polished black granite) reflecting the images of the surrounding trees, lawns, monuments, and visitors. The walls seem to stretch into the distance, directing us towards the Washington Monument, in the east, and the Lincoln Memorial, to the west, thus bring the Vietnam Veterans Memorial into a historical context." (The Wall- USA.com) Maya Ying Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall design allows the names of those lost in combat to speak for themselves, connecting a tragedy that happened on foreign soil with the soil of America’s capital city, where it stands. The basic 4 points that the judges was looking for was: 1) reflective in character, 2) harmonize with it's surroundings, 3) included all of the names of those who died or those who are missing, and 4) contained NO political statements about the war. Unfortunately, some did not agree with Maya's design. "It's a black gash of shame," or "a giant tombstone" is what critics believed. They wanted something more heroic and soldier-like. This is where Frederick Hart came in. Hart had taken third place in the competition and was asked to make a sculpture that was representational of the Vietnam soldiers. Fredrick Hart describes his sculpture as,

// "The portrayal of the figures is consistent with history. They wear the uniform and carry the equipment of war; they are young. The contrast between the innocence of their youth and the weapons of war underscores the poignancy of their sacrifice. There is about them the physical contact and sense of unity that bespeaks the bonds of love and sacrifice that is the nature of men at war. And yet they are each alone. Their strength and their vulnerability are both evident. Their true heroism lies in these bonds of loyalty in the face of their aloneness and their vulnerability." (VVMF.org) //

Another important symbol placed in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a United States flag. It is always up, waving 24 hours a day, every day. Located below the flag are the seals of the five military services along with the following inscription:

"THIS FLAG REPRESENTS THE SERVICE RENDERED TO OUR COUNTRY BY THE VETERANS OF THE VIETNAM WAR. THE FLAG AFFIRMS THE PRINCIPLES OF FREEDOM FOR WHICH THEY FOUGHT AND THEIR PRIDE IN HAVING SERVED UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES."

Women's Role in the War- Acknowledgement at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

On November 11, 1993, The Vietnam Women's memorial was dedicated to the women of the U.S Armed Forces who took part in the Vietnam war. Eight servicewomen were killed in action and many more helped to heal the sick and wounded. In 1993, Glenna Goodacre's sculpture "The Vietnam Women's Memorial," was put into the Vietnam Veteran's memorial. Glenna Goodacre describes how she wants her sculpture to be viewed and what it means to her: "My desire to create a lasting tribute to the American women serving in Vietnam is founded upon my deep respect for each of them, and my heartfelt payer for their “healing and hope.” I have been humbled by the enormity of such a task yet incredibly honored by the overwhelming gratitude of the veterans. The emphasis of this tribute is centered on their emotions: their compassion, their anxiety, their fatigue, and above all, their dedication." (vietnamwomensmemorialfoundation.org) (\ /)  (='.'=)   (")_(")o media type="youtube" key="6y64zTRlrmo" height="315" width="420"

\)/) ('<')  ({ })  ---WW---  Interesting Facts: ^^^^^^^^^^^>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>^^^^^^^^^^<<<<<<>>>>>>>wwwwww<<<<<<<<<<>>>>> For more interesting facts, visit: [|Vietnam War Memorial] Leave a tribute, story, or photograph or search for names! Visit: [|Interactive Vietnam Veterans Memorial]
 * The walls are 246.75 feet long
 * There are 140 pilings and the average depth to bedrock is 35 feet.
 * The height of the walls at the vertex is 10.1 feet.
 * The granite comes from Bangalore, India and it was cut and fabricated at Barre, Vermont.
 * The names were grit blasted in Memphis, Tennessee.
 * The height of individual letters being 0.53 inch and the depth, 0.038 inch. (cyberlearning-world.com) -CITE
 * 22 countries are represented on the Vietnam Veteran's memorial.
 * 997 soldiers were killed on their arrival day.
 * 1,143 soldiers were killed on their departure day.
 * Since 2010, six names were added to the wall. In total, 58, 272 names are on the wall with 1,200 names listed as missing.



<3 Stories at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial <3

On March 26, 1982, Emogene Cupp took part in a historic event: the opening of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 Americans who were killed in Vietnam or who are missing. One of those names belongs to Cupp’s son, Robert. Today, March 26, 2012, she was back to attend an official ceremony celebrating the memorial’s 30th anniversary. Cupp, now 92 and carrying a shovel she received at the unveiling of the memorial, was there to honor her son, who was killed in June 1968 and was buried on his 21st birthday. The one thing she replied with was, "I miss him."

Wiki Main Page