The Vietnam Memorial is one of the most stunning monuments on the National Mall. Instead of being large and tall...it is...large and tall, but hidden from all but the people who know where it is and want to see it.
You may ask how do you hide a Memorial that is over 12 feet tall? What they did was make the top at ground level and then excavate the land, until the entire Memorial fits into it. You begin your journey at ground level and a gentle slope downward begins. There are your first names, just a few and then they grow and grow and grow, until they are towering high above you. Names and more names. Sons, brothers and fathers, many who were drafted against their will. It is bad enough that your soldiers are in harms way, but at least they choose to be there. In many cases, these men did not. I remember growing up during this war and fearing that everyone I went to school with would end up in the service. Luckily for my class, Nixon began withdrawing troops when we were in High School, so our class was spared. My husband was not so lucky, he ended up in the Army and thankfully came back OK.
This is our second time visiting the Vietnam Memorial and we enjoyed seeing this wonderful monument, that acknowledges the ultimate sacrifice that each one of these people made.
50,000 Names
ReplyDelete(Song written by Jamie O'Hara, Performed by George Jones)
A little more about the memorial and Washington D.C.
Snopes: Free meals at participating restaurants in observance of Veteran's Day, Nov 11 (though not necessarily ON the day)
The imbedded video on that second linked page doesn't seem to work (for me, anyway), but I posted it for the text anyway which provides just a little more detail about the design and placement of the memorial.
ReplyDeleteHey Dim Skip!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the 50 thousand names. That was very moving.
Hubby and I saw the Applebee's offer and he commented that maybe we should go, but we are not Applebee's fans, in general. Now my brother and his crew (he has 3 teenage boys) love the place. lol
One of my writtings is about a painting I have seen of the wall
ReplyDeleteHey Austin, I remember that post!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the most moving monuments in a city of many moving monuments. I always spend some quiet time there whenever I can. Beautiful photo, Angel -- you really captured the sense of the place.
ReplyDeletePiglet: Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI have another photo that is similar with my Hubby looking at the wall. I love them both.
it may be a cultural difference that i don't understand that anyone would voluntarily sign up as a soldier serving their country, while the men and women who cause problems and conflicts or decide it is time to meddle somewhere far, get to stay home safe (and their kids too). john beasley's wife lorna works for doctors without borders and last year, or the year before, she helped organize a benefit for veterans from Iraq, because often they do not have sufficient means to support their family or get professional help when returning home with either physical injury or mental problems. often it is young kids, young men who are in the prime of their lives, or suppose to be.
ReplyDeletei do understand the part here with wars past, and the personal reference since angel's husband served in Vietnam. he made it back home alive and so many didn't. i always wonder if it is truly of any consolation to think that a life is sacrificed for the sake of the country, patriottism. if i had kids, i wouldn't want them to fight or prepare for eventual battles overseas or anywhere for that matter. for whom?
it has always puzzled me. and maybe it is a kind of sentiment i don't get, even though my own family survived the ordeal and effects of a war as well in indonesia...
it's a personal opinion, but i doubt whether soldiers or marines die honorable deaths, because aren't wars like in Iraq 'justified' to protect commercial and economic targets, valuable assets to a happy few who earn big bucks while others perish.
isn't it better to invest all that money, education and time to learn people how to take care of their own problems within their own country, change mentality and teach that helping a neighbor repair his damaged roof has priority over buying the latest iPhone model on that free afternoon...
i find it interesting, though, this apparent different approach of identity as a people, a nation, being American :-)
doesn't mean i am a pacifist. i used to be as a teen and had a pin with a broken rifle. but i have come to understand that human nature is anything but peaceful and we need to learn how to control our primal urges, instincts. we all get angry, frustrated, sad, disappointed. we need to understand why and find a way to get past it.
and it's not just Americans, of course. there are many cultures where men are taught to die for a good cause, be a martyr :-), go to heaven or paradise etc etc.
it's all bollocks, if you pardon the expression.
sorry for this lengthy post, but i find it hard to grasp why young men or women, who could have normal lives, a decent future as a civilian sign up, become soldiers and puppets in a grand scheme of things controlled by forces we should not support. i don't think the military is anything constructive. i have an uncle who is a retired general-major, he worked for the NATO... there have been more army-officers in my family, in the olden days it was an esteemed profession... my uncle had doubts about it all at some point in his life...
there's also a cousin who served in Libanon a few times and Bosnia and such... he is still in the army, but as a social worker offering help to families of soldiers who get killed.. like bring them the bad news and then help them in the process if it all... he thought of quitting at some time when he was still a soldier, an officer of some sort.. but he decided he wanted to change things around and do some real useful work, for what it is worth. i think it also helps him to deal with his own experiences overseas.
anyway, it's everbody's personal choice, right?
Gina: I too sometimes wonder. I have watched as several of my son's class have joined the rank of the "Volunteer" military. These are just the ones who I consider "sons" or follow on Facebook. There are at least a dozen more that he served with in the JROTC. Including several at our Military Academies, and VMI.
ReplyDelete1 in the Army
2 in the Navy
1 in the Marines
They want to join, though, like you, I do not quite understand. They are also VERY Patriotic and care for this Country and what it stands for. They care for our Flag and honestly, that is so much better then my generation burning it.
I support them, in spite of not understanding the why of service. I am proud, too. They are good kids, not monsters. I just pray they never have to deal with some of the choices people in wartime have to deal with.