I was born in 1970, so I have no recollection of the Vietnam War. I have no relatives or friends that were involved in the conflict. However, I knew that I wanted to make the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial one of my stops when I visited Washington a few weekends ago, and I came away from the experience very moved by what I saw and heard while I was there - and it is something that I will never forget.
More (with photos) below the fold.
After leaving the Lincoln Memorial, I explained to my 9 year old son that we were going to visit a memorial that was very solemn (as opposed to the Lincoln, where there were groups of raucous kids), and that he needed to be quiet and respectful while we were there. He agreed.
We were fortunate to first see a group of WWII vets, escorted by others who wore hats that said "Honor Escort" on them. I explained to DS that there were fewer WWII vets every day, due to their age, and that it was an honor to see them.
We stopped at one of the books then - what looks like a large phone book that has the listing of the soldiers that are named on the wall. I flipped through it and explained what it was to my son. His eyes got a little wider than normal, and I could tell he was starting to understand the enormity of it.
Then we came to the actual wall. One thing that I didn't expect and had never seen before is that the wall begins with a very short piece, and then slants upward. (the photo is of the other end)
At its tallest point - what you usually see on TV - it is VERY tall (10.1 feet according to the National Park Service brochure) and, between the height, length, and names, very overwhelming.
You could just feel the grief in the air. It was really something. The people around us spoke in hushed voices, and I could pick out phrases here and there, such as "he was a fighter pilot" and "Can you imagine?" and worst of all "There are women here looking for their sons." Then someone else whispered "Someone will have to build one of these for this war", and that's when my son slipped his hand into mine. Even at his age, he is very conscious that the war in Iraq is going on, and that his mom doesn't approve.
Even though I had seen the Wall countless times on TV and in pictures, I wasn't prepared for the enormous size of it. A wide range of emotions went through me as we walked past the 58,256 names. Anger, at the loss of life both in Vietnam and now in Iraq, and at the treatment of our veterans. Fear, that someday my son may be called or volunteer to fight himself, and be hurt or killed. But most of all, I felt great sadness for the dead and the ones left behind, who come to the Wall and mourn.
After we finished viewing the wall, we sat down on a park bench so DS could watch the squirrels. He looked at me and said "Do you know what I almost did about halfway through, Mom?" I didn't know and shook my head.
"I almost cried."
"Me too", I said and gave him a hug. Then, hand in hand, we walked away, toward the cherry blossoms and away from the site that has been described as "a scar on the earth". I couldn't agree more.