Analysis: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Secretary of State John Kerry once said “I saw courage both in the Vietnam War and in the struggle to stop it. I learned that patriotism includes protest, not just military service.” The Vietnam War was a conflict that lasted from 1956-1975 which the United States participated in along with the South Vietnamese who fought against the Communist North Vietnamese. Many Americans strongly disapproved of the war which caused many protests and riots. The war lasted 25 years killing many people and eventually the North Vietnamese won. The Vietnam War was important to Americans back home because it tested the citizen’s right to free speech, effected future foreign policy, and created many issues for returning veterans.

This was important for me because this event overshadowed my life from an early age until my teenage years. America’s participation in the Vietnam War was an extension of the Cold War. Since America said we would fight against communism, we did. We lost approximately 60,000 service men; some are still missing in action. In the end, it served no purpose, South Vietnam lost and became a part of the communist north. Many soldiers came back with PTSD and at that time they did not have a name or real treatment, for this disorder. Many Vietnam veterans suffered many side effects from the war, angent organge and other effects of weaponary. Today, we have in comparaion massive amounts of positive propaganda for military, nevertheless, in this war, verterns were treated poorly ,especially by the public. The collateral consequences of this war effected many families. Today, I know many people and families ,who have not recovered completely from this war

The Vietnam War was a violent and costly war that needed many men to fight for its cause. These men are now known as the Vietnam veterans. Numerous veterans who fought in the war were injured or lost a comrade during battle. These soldiers fought to protect the United States and its people while risking their own lives. A lot of these brave men were either killed or injured and did not gain the

The goal was to win the war and to protect the United States, and it was the accomplished with the help of the soldiers. Which cost some lives and to thank those people they opened the Vietnam War memorial. It took a lot of effort and time to make this possible.The wall has a value that we give to the people that served our country. The ones that died and the ones who marched. It tells the truth, gives names and goes on and on. ‘’A Smithsonian Institution director called it “a community of feelings, almost a sacred precinct,” and a veteran declared that “it’s the parade we never got.” “The Wall” drew together both those who fought and those who marched against the war and served to promote national healing a decade after the divisive conflict’s end.’’ ‘’Veterans and families of the dead walked the black reflective wall, seeking the names of their loved ones killed in the conflict.’’ We wouldn’t have won the war if it wasn't for the soldiers everyone who served our country and gave there life for us. They need a symbol that recognized them for what they did. There was also a lot of money raised so this could happen. People take time to admire the names that are written on there with honor. They didn't just give up their lives but also made their family suffer and gave them up for everyone’s protection and also to protect them.. The lose of someone can never be prepared but can be honored and recognized for the importance they have become.

The artist of the memorial, Maya Lin, is an American of Asian descent who is famous for her sculptures and land art. Her most famous work, the Vietnam Memorial, was chosen in a contest, and her designs both mesmerized and angered many people. Since them, works and designs she has created for competitions have been mainly memorials and remembrances based on historical events. Her works are intended to use the natural texture and geology of the space around the monument to its advantage in its creation.

The Vietnam War, unofficially beginning on November 1st, 1955 and ending April 30th, 1975, was a key part of US history due to the countless United States soldiers that served in the war over the 8 years and 37 days that the US was involved. For the United States, the Vietnam War had over 58,000 casualties and over 300,000 wounded soldiers. Starting on March 8, 1965, the United States was tied into the losing fight overseas. These numbers are only estimates. Far more people were affected by the war, even after it ended. Hundreds of thousands of veterans committed suicide after the war due to PTSD and other impacts that the war had on them.

The United States Marine Corps War Memorial, which stands in Arlington National Cemetery, is among the most famous statues in Washington D.C. Upon the conclusion of World War II, it was erected and dedicated to “the Marine dead of all wars and their comrades of other services who fell fighting beside them" (US National Park Services). The statue was based on a photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal of six marines raising the flag over Mount Suribachi after an arduous battle with the Japanese. The photo was an instant sensation, and it became known as one of the most iconic and inspirational war photos ever taken. The image of the Marines raising the American flag over Iwo Jima illustrates the depth of America’s commitment to freedom, the ideal in which America’s identity as an exceptional nation is founded.

The remembrances of the Vietnam War are often thought upon with mixed emoptions. While there are those who praise the “bravest of men in our country” (Keith 38), some are stirred by the memorial, which happens to also be the most frequently toured site in the capital of the united states. It is covered with the names of over 50,000 men and women who served and died in the war of vietnam, it is regarded as a “shrine to the dead” (Taylor 24)  reminder of the loss of too many young Americans, and of what the war did to the United States and its messianic belief in its own overweening virtue.

The United States entered into Vietnam in 1965 and fought there until 1975. The U.S. got involved because North Vietnam was trying to take over South Vietnam and make them part of the communist North Vietnam. Due to President Johnson and congress believing that if they didn’t engage in this war that the domino effect (which is where one country becomes communist and this causes other countries to fall victim to the same fate) that this would happen. For the first time in the history of any war, the American public was extremely disrespectful to the soldiers coming home from war. The war was extremely costly for the United States and the loss of life was too great. So many lives were lost over there in a conflict that was never to be won.

This heartwarming story is about a young boy and his father who visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. they’re looking for his father’s name on the giant wall of names. While looking for his grandfather’s name, the young boy witnesses a soldiers who lost both of his legs, and is confined to a wheelchair, an older couple who are embracing each other crying, and a flower that id drooping. His father seems saddened, as well as the others who are visiting the memorial. The young boy is sad because he doesn’t have a grandfather, but his father tells him that he couldn’t be more proud to see his name on that wall because he died fighting for our

"It is a V formed by two black granite walls that diminish in height as they extend outward, making the monument appear to descend into the earth. Chiseled into the walls are the names of the 57,930 men and 9 women who died or are listed as missing in the Vietnam War" (Foss). The creation itself, was symbolic for the argument presented by a faction during the late 1960's and 1980's arguing against the motifs that the U.S. had to engage in the Vietnam War. For a majority, involvement in the Vietnam War represented tyranny, because we had no right to fight a battle that pertains to South Vietnam. Second, if South Vietnam wanted to remain a democratic nation, then they should have fought directly against communism, instead of depending on U.S

The Vietnam War was a very intensified war among multiple countries. It was know as the Second IndoChina War and took place in South/North Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. It was also known to other counties as the only for America lost. The war was against the Vietnam Cong and the Viet Minh and was the third war in Vietnam between the north and south. The United States played a big role in the war and so did many other counties that were involved in the war. It is very important to know about this war and how it effected many people of not only our country but others as well.

The Vietnam War was a long and expensive war that lasted between the years 1954 and 1975. This conflict happened against the Communist North Vietnam and South Vietnam with its ally, the United States. Over the course of the war 58,000 Americans were either killed or wounded, with an overall count of 3 million people killed during the war, including civilians (History – Vietnam War). With the help of the media, this merciless and gruesome war was televised to American homes everywhere which created controversy and caused uneasiness in Americans. Although the media portrayal of the war at first had mainly positive responses, the end of the war had a different story to tell.

The names of 58,000 Americans who perish in the Vietnam War are engraved on the wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

When one listens to Anne Wagner telling history about the Vietnam Veteran Memorial Creation that Maya Lin created and designed, it assist one in appreciating and understanding her work. This is because Maya Lin used natural material as well as recyclable substances to address environmental issues that people could easily recognize. As an artist, environmentalist as well as sculptor, she carved haunting and beautiful imagery to represent the results of environment destruction. Maya Lin won Vietnam veterans memorial competition since she created a wound on the earth to account for the loss of soldiers as well as the gravity of the war in Vietnam but unfortunately the design became controversial. I understand that Maya Lin defended the design and finished and as a result, it the most appreciated and visited memorial. I appreciate her effort to defend her design from prominent Politicians and businessmen harassment to have the memorial set up. I trust that her choice to communicate through art is effective especially when using environment since it is a language that is simply understood globally. When one view her work that is of environmental concern it gives the viewer a sense of togetherness since everyone is responsible for the