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The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

luv2bt&tickled

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The Vietnam Veterans Memorial



Congress authorized the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to be constructed in the Constitution Gardens of Washington, D.C., on July 1, 1980.

That fall a contest, open to United States citizens over eighteen, was announced to find a design for the memorial. A jury of eight anonymous artists voted on the 1,421 entries submitted. The winner was, then twenty-one year old college student, Maya Ying Lin of Ohio.

Ground was formally broken on March 26, 1982, with the life-sized sculpture of the servicemen, designed by Frederick Hart, being installed in the fall of 1984. Once it had been completed, President Ronald Regan formally accepted the memorial on behalf of the nation on November 11, 1984.


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In 1979, when the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Inc. decided to petition for a memorial, they set out four criteria: the monument had to be reflective and contemplative, it had to blend with its surrounding, it had to contain the names of all those who died or were missing, and finally it could make no political statement about the war.


Click image
for a larger version
The design Maya Ying Lin came up with did all those things. On the polished black granite of the monument are the 58,209 names of those who died during the war, listed in order from the first casualty to the last. Included in this number are the names of the 1,150 people who were not confirmed dead and were listed as missing and unaccounted for at the end of the war.

Those confirmed dead have a diamond placed by their name on the wall. Those who were reported missing bear a cross next to their name. If they return alive, a circle is placed around the cross to symbolize life. If their remains are returned or their death is confirmed, a diamond is placed around the cross.

Visitors leave thousands of mementos and flowers at the memorial each year as a remembrance to those who are gone or missing. Every night members of the National Park Service collect the mementos left and deliver them to the Smithsonian Museum who displays them on a rotating basis in the National History Museum.



Did you know?

Every Sunday morning the monument is cleaned by a different group of veterans.
The letters are 0.53 inches high, and were grit blasted in 0.038 inches.
The walls, bearing the names, are 246.75 feet long.
The granite used in the monument came from Bangalore, India, and was cut and fabricated in Barre, Vermont.

(in my humble opinion, the Veterans do not get enough recognitation for their dedication to their country, that is so sad. :dropatear: I know some people do remember them but not enough. They were taken for granted in my opinion. Yet they fought for "US" for freedom and peace, and yet we are back once again....so close to war)
🙁
 
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Long Island

We have a nice Memorial Park dedicated to the VW vets here. It's a beautiful spire, about 80 feet high, done in red, white and blue with appropriate stars. It's a very peaceful spot, set on a high hill in a wooded area with ample parking and a fine view. Occasionally I'm proud of our Parks Department, and happily, this is a good example of utilizing funds to create a meaningful and artistic setting. I lost some friends directly to this war, and it tore apart many relationships due to the passions it evoked in supporters and dissidents. A sad period indeed........... Q
 
Re: Long Island

qjakal said:
We have a nice Memorial Park dedicated to the VW vets here. It's a beautiful spire, about 80 feet high, done in red, white and blue with appropriate stars. It's a very peaceful spot, set on a high hill in a wooded area with ample parking and a fine view. Occasionally I'm proud of our Parks Department, and happily, this is a good example of utilizing funds to create a meaningful and artistic setting. I lost some friends directly to this war, and it tore apart many relationships due to the passions it evoked in supporters and dissidents. A sad period indeed........... Q
Thanks Q, I did not know that 🙂 and yes I agree it is a sad period. Thank you for sharing that. I too lost some relatives in that war 🙁 I am sorry for your loss 🙁
 
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