The Vietnam Memorial

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national memorial in Washington, D.C. It remembers the U.S. service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought and gave their lifes in the Vietnam War, and service members who alos were unaccounted for (MIA) during the War.

About the Wall

The Memorial Wall, designed by Maya Lin, the wall is made up of two walls adding up to 246 feet 9 inches long. The walls are built into the ground, with ground solidly behind them. At the highest point the wall is about 10.1 fee high.

Vandalism

There have been three known cases of vandalism at the Vietnam Memorial wall.

The first occurred in 1988, when a swastika and various scratches were found etched in two of the panels. The panels were replaced.

In 1993, someone burned one of the directory stands at the entrance to the memorial.

On September 7, 2007, an oily substance was found by park rangers on the memorial's wall panels and paving stones. It was spread over an area of 50 to 60 feet (18 m). Memorial Fund founder Jan Scruggs deplored the scene, calling it an "act of vandalism on one of America's sacred places". The removal process took a few weeks to complete.

Opposition to the wall

There was great controversy of the design being selected, especially among veterans. Much of the public voiced their displeasure, calling the wall "a black gash of shame, Secretary of the Interior under President Ronald Reagan, initially did not like the design and refused to issue a building permit for the Vietnam Memorial due to the public outcry about the design.

Controversies

The Vietnam War was one of the longest and most controversial wars in United States history. A stated goal of the memorial fund was to avoid commentary on the war itself, serving only as a memorial to those who served. Nevertheless, a number of controversies have surrounded the memorial.

Who paid for the memorial?

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. (VVMF) raised nearly $9,000,000 mostly through private contributions from corporations, foundations, unions, veterans and civic organizations and more than 275,000 individual Americans. No Federal funds were needed or used.

What is the official name of the memorial?

"The official name of the Memorial is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It is sometimes referred to as VVM or "the Wall". The figures are called "The Three Servicemen". This is not a war Memorial but a Memorial to those who served in the war, both living and dead.

Paraphrase 1

“THE WALL can’t heal my wounds.”- Tom Stevens

What is done is done and there is no changing that.

Paraphrase 2

“The War is Over; the Crisis Continues.”- Stephen Rosenfeld

We are finished with the war but its impact is still there.

Paraphrase 3

“Remembering a War We Want to Forget.”- William Broyles Jr

Since this war was the only one we have lost it is hard to forget such an event.

Paraphrase 4

“Like the war itself, the memorial is less than the dead deserved. It is a memorial that isn’t a memorial for a war that wasn’t, technically, even a war”- Broyles

The dead deserver more then what they got for their service in a war that really wasn’t a war.

Quote 1

When the soldiers came home from Vietnam, there were no parades, no celebrations. So they built the Vietnam Memorial for themselves (William Westmoreland).

Quote 1

" The design cuts into the earth. The landscape of Vietnam was pocketmarked by bombs and revised by engineering equipment. It also ties to the symbolism of the grave. It is solemn, overwhelming in the number of names and thoughtfully designed. I can't think of a better architectural solution. Maya Lin's work has balance and impact. The abstract and reality somehow merged."

Quote 2

" Okay we lost the Vietnam War, and okay the thing was mismanaged from the start to finish. But American soldiers who died in Vietnam fought for their country and for the freedom of others, and they deserve better than the outrage that has been approved as their memorial…the Reagan administration should throw the switch on the project."

Quote 3

" but there was one thing about the monument they couldn’t fix. The names that speak most directly about the war aren’t on the memorial. To my knowledge there are no names of any sons of grandsons of the congressman who voted the appropriations to keep it going. They weren’t there. The war divided America, most of all by driving a wedge between those who went and those who didn’t ."

Work Cited

Primary "11th Hour, 11th Day, 11th Month." Nytimes.com. Nytimes, n.d. Web.

http://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/11/opinion/11th-hour-11th-day-11th-month.html?ref=vietnamveteransmemorial.

Secondary Snitow, Samantha. "Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall- What Does It Really Say?"

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall- What Does It Really Say? N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2012. <http://members.tripod.com/~msg_fisher/wall.html>.

"The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Page." The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2012. <http://thewall-usa.com/>.

"Vietnam Memorial." , Washington. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2012. <http://www.aviewoncities.com/washington/vietnammemorial.htm>.