As we
all know, the Vietnam War was a highly debated topic, but few realize that the
famous Vietnam Veterans Memorial was once a highly debated topic. The series of
events first started when Maya Ying Lin, an Asian American undergraduate at Yale,
was assigned to design a memorial for the Vietnam War for an architecture
class. She wanted to honor those who
were lost in the war rather than focus on the politics of the war like many
previous memorials had. She was inspired by the monument to the missing soldiers
of the World War I Battle of the
Somme and also the Memorial Rotunda at Yale, a wall that contained all the
names of Yale alumni killed in the war. As Lin began to design her memorial,
she knew she wanted to keep it simple. She believed something as simple as a
name could bring back every memory of a loved one. Her original intentions were
not to enter the competition, however after a classmate received the expectations,
she decided to enter. Little did she know her simple design would inspire the
judges enough for her design to be chosen. Her plans were to use a black,
reflective granite to create long walls with the names listed chronologically.
She said the reflections would offer people two worlds, one you are a part of
and one you cannot enter. The surrounding monuments would represent peace from
the past. She had to fight to get her way, but over time she was able to create
the wall she had envisioned.
 |
| An overview of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial |
The unrest did not stop there, however. People all over the United States
were outraged at the memorial design. They didn’t understand the simplicity and
the vision Maya Ying Lin had for this three acre space. Most said that the black
wall was just a large tomb stone and did not represent the war in an appropriate
way. Because of the disagreement, two statues have been added to the memorial
since the opening in 1982.
Today the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the most appreciated
memorials in Washington D.C. The walls span a total of 246 feet 9 inches with
the highest point being 10.1 feet and the lowest being 8 inches. When the
memorial was completed in 1983, there were 58,191 names on the wall, however
there have been additions made to the all since and not there are more than
58,300 included in the wall. Visitors can find the names on the wall and create
etches of the name, which allows those suffering to take one last piece of
their loved one with them. People also leave a wide variety of offerings against
the wall the wall in order of those who are lost. The wall offers a place for anyone
to come and remember those who they loved. This place is a place that honors
those who are lost without the politics of the terrible war to get in the way
of those who are still mourning the loss of their loved ones.
 |
| This is a photo I captured during my trip to D.C. in 2012. You can clearly see my brother walking along the wall as well as the trees behind us because of the reflective properties of the granite. This photo only captures a very small portion of the names on the wall, but this gives a general idea what the wall looks like. |
Cool picture! I remember going to dc in 8th grade and walking through that memorial. I never released the women who designed it was asian-american I could see how that would have been a little controversial.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting, I have been to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial several times, but knew nothing about Maya Ying Lin, or the controversy surrounding the design. I personally think the simplicity of the design makes it stand out in comparison to the other very ornate Memorials.
ReplyDeleteI think it's cool that a monument surrounded by so much controversy at the time it was erected ended up being so accepted by the public. This monument has now become one of the most popular Vietnam War memorials despite not being completely accepted at the time. Cool photo, I'm surprised you kept track of the pictures over all this time, because I certainly wouldn't have.
ReplyDeleteI saw this memorial when I went on a trip to D.C. with my middle school. It was really awesome to see it in person. I had no idea there was so much controversy over the look of the memorial, but I personally really like the design.
ReplyDeleteI visited this memorial also in middle school, 8th grade. I knew very little about it at the time. I knew nothing about how it became what it is today and who was a huge part of that. I feel like seeing it in person now would have a greater impact on me.
ReplyDeleteits very interesting how something that was so controversial is a hallmark to most americans trips to D.C. now. Its something almost every kid who goes on a D.C. trip in the 8th grade will see. I actually wish when i visited D.C. i went to go see this exact memorial. It's also interesting that a asian was the one who designed and pushed for the creation of this.
ReplyDelete