Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial
I remember this war and I remember all of the controversy that surrounded the making of this memorial.
It has been a good thirty years since I first visited the Memorial. I approached from the Mall, reverently, yet anticipating my opportunity to see what all of the fuss was about.
Initially, critics argued that the Wall was not sufficiently ornate and the design too somber and simple.
The Memorial had been designed by a fellow Ohioan, Maya Lin, who had won a blind competion, while still an undergraduate at Yale. There were detractors of the design, who took issue with the fact Lin’s heritage was Chinese.
Made from black, reflective granite, the two walls, which meet in the center, forming a V, contain the names of the over 57,000 soldiers who lost their life fighting the war in Vietnam.
The critics were all wrong. The Wall, was, when it opened, and still to this day, one of the most powerful Memorials on the Mall. It is not unusual to see people tracing a loved one’s name, leaving a memento, or simply touching the Wall in a deep emotional state; I most highly recommend that you walk this Memorial and reflect.
