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1. Memorials _________________________________________________

2. The Vietnam War _________________________________________________ • 58,000 were Dead, thousands injured and maimed, and countless emotionally scarred, but there was no clear victory or purpose • Draft Inequalities aggravated class and racial antagonisms. • Contributed to the development of widespread attitudes of distrust, unease, and confusion

3. Powell, Gary and Gerald Silver. "The Statue With Sculptor." Desert News. October 1989. (A Salt Lake City, UT Daily Paper) Obtained at: http://grunt.space.swri.edu/images/vn/billm/utah6.jpg A Close Up of the Permian Basin Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in Midland, TX and dedicated on November 12, 1994. Obtained at: http://grunt.space.swri.edu/images/vn/mems/permian2.jpg

4. _________________________________________________ The Building of the Memorial • The project was initiated by Jan C. Scruggs and developed by a committee of Veterans. • Rather than ask money of the government they felt had wronged them, the committee raised over seven million dollars from veterans groups and individual private donations. • The design was selected from hundreds submitted by various artists and architects. • An Unorthodox reflective black cliff with the names of all those who died or went missing in chronological order of their disappearance or death designed by Yale student

5. _________________________________________________ “In honor of the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in the Vietnam War. The names of those who gave their lives and of those who remain missing are inscribed in the order they were taken from us” • Inscription on the Wall of the Vietnam Memorial

7. Controversy “I didn’t want a monument, Not even one as sober as that Vast black wall of broken lives. I didn’t want a postage stamp. I didn’t want a road beside the Delaware River with a sign proclaiming: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. What I wanted was a simple recognition Of the limits of our power as a nation To inflict our will on others. What I wanted was an understanding That the world is neither black and white Nor ours. What I wanted Was an end to monuments. Anonymous

8. “The place, with its almost hysterical focus on death, seems to elicit memories long held back, just as the names themselves bring the faces of the dead to the mirror of the mind.” Duncan Spencer, Facing the Wall

9. Compromise

10. Success _________________________________________________

16. _________________________________________________ Why is the memorial so significant? • The wall forces those who see it to reflect on, acknowledge and in some sense deal with death and pain. It does not glorify war or deal with politicized issues. • Though radical and highly symbolic, it still successfully achieves symbolic immortality for those who died, while encouraging collective societal remembrance and serving as a cautionary piece of art. • The wall is unique in it’s largess and the simultaneous focus on the individuality of every dead soldier. • The wall and the sculptures surrounding it is the most prominent example of a modern memorial. Minimalist elements and realist elements are at odds, but it is only indicative of the ever-growing number of opinions that must be accounted for in the building of a modern memorial.

18. The Korean War (1950-1953)“The Forgotten War” ___________________________________________________ • Claimed 54,246 American lives. • Involved directly was the US and Southern Korea; Indirectly involved was Australia, Belgium, Canada, Columbia, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, Greece, India, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, and The United Kingdom, as UN forces that delivered medical, spiritual, and equipment need. • Came right after World War II and was overshadowed by the Vietnam War; hence the name “forgotten” • One of the bloodiest conflicts to date

19. ___________________________________________________ The Korean War Memorial • Conflict over two designs. (State College, Pennsylvania and Cooper-Lechy) • Memorial started in 1993 • Frank Gaylord created the sandblasted wall and Louis Nelson created the statues • Completed Date: July 27, 1995

20. ___________________________________________________ Symbolism • The UN wall is comprised of sandblasted images that depict those that worked behind the scenes of the Korean War. People such as engineers, nurses, cooks, and various other service jobs for the armed forces. The wall is reflective, and the image of the 19 soldiers on the memorial reflects to show 38, symbolizing the 38th parallel. • The statues represent all branches of the Armed forces, and the look of confusion is very apparent on their faces. The ponchos represent the harsh climate that they had to fight in. The granite slabs symbolize the obstacles that they had to pass over in order to reach their goals. It is speculated that they wore ponchos in order to halt debate about what countries were being represented because of the diversity of the Armed Forces. • The wall next to the statues represents the UN countries that helped in indirect combat, such as supplies, finance, and moral support.

21. Engraved into the rocks next to the statues on the other side of the reflecting wall is the following statement: • “OUR NATION HONORS ITS SONS AND DAUGHTERS WHO ANSWERED THE CALL TO DEFEND A COUNTRY THEY NEVER KNEW AND A PEOPLE THEY NEVER MET” • This, from the Armed Forces point of view, is probably the best way description of the feeling of the Korean War.

22. ___________________________________________________ Oklahoma City Memorial

23. ___________________________________________________ Symbolism Click here for symbolism

24. ___________________________________________________ Reactions • “It is elegant. It is symbolic. It manages to focus on this act of unconscionable violence and still honor the valor of the people of the community and the lives of the victims in a setting of a reflection and peace that should leave people, when they go through it, feeling stronger rather than weaker.” • “I have no doubt that the totally open and democratic nature of this process, the reaching out to the family members and the survivors every step of the way, was absolutely indispensable to the healing of the people who were affected by what happened. I also have no doubt it gave you a better memorial, a more powerful, more profound, more lasting memory.” Back to Homepage