Many had worked together, some in Washington. Vietnam is a very important war in the story of Americas history. The chief design criteria were that the memorial be 1) reflective and contemplative in character; 2) be harmonious with its site and environment, 3) make no political statement about the war itself, and 4) contain the names of all who died or remained missing. He would never forget those friends. During the Vietnam War, the U.S military engaged in an aggressive program of chemical warfare codenamed Operation Ranch Hand. Although she designed an apolitical monument, the politics of the Vietnam War could not be avoided. On the other side, the same thing was occurring, with even more inflated numbersvastly more. The veterans themselves began the project , not the government . Why was Maya Lins Vietnam War Memorial initially controversial? History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Adding to Americans disillusionment was the race issue. Everyone wanted to join the effort. I am always incredibly moved and heartened, especially when a veteran tells me that The Wall has helped them in some wayit could not mean more to me. The Vietnam Memorial, located in Washington D.C., is a sacred symbol to honor the countless brave men and women who sacrificed their lives during the Vietnam War. American troops had won every major battle they fought, and General Nguyen Van Thieu had come to power in South Vietnam in September; he would remain in office until 1975, bringing a new measure of stability to the government, though he could not end its endemic corruption. Early Protests Vietnamese monk protesting with self How do you build a monument to a war that was more tragic than triumphant? Although Americas war in Vietnam failed to salvage the Republic of South Vietnam, it bought time in which neighboring countries improved their economies and defensive capabilities, and it may have discouraged greater communist activism in places like the Philippines. In December Doubek became the Executive Director, working on a half-time basis for the first few months, and opened the VVMF office on January 2, 1980. Postwar casualties not eligible for inscription on the wall are honored instead with an onsite plaque. A few of the most vocal opponents, including James Webb and H. Ross Perot, had previously been strong supporters of a memorial. Volunteers, Vietnam vets, family members of the deceased and employees of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund read the names each day over four consecutive days. Color should mean nothing now., Sideys piece continued: At the end of five hours and much shouting, General Mike Davison, retired, who led the Cambodian incursion in 1970, proposed a compromise: add the figure of a soldier in front of the long granite walls that will bear the 57,709 names of those who died or are missing and the tribute to all who served. Scruggs, a veteran himself, is credited with getting the memorial built. Because the U.S. failed to achieve a military victory and the Republic of South Vietnam was ultimately taken over by North Vietnam, the Vietnam experience became known as the only war America ever lost. It remains a very controversial topic that continues to affect political and military decisions today. To Heal a Nation, a book written by Jan Scruggs and Joel Swerdlow about the creation of the Memorial, provides a vivid sketch of the scene: I have heard your arguments, said General Price. North Vietnam From the very beginning I often wondered, if it had not been an anonymous entry 1026 but rather an entry by Maya Lin, would I have been selected? she later wrote. All donations, however, came from the private sector. Working with the construction manager, GilbaneBuilding Company, the design team had to locate the appropriate type of granite: a flawless, reflective, deep ebony stone. Word spread quickly among Vietnam veterans that the politicians in Washington were stabbing them in the back with a black gash of shame. President Reagans Secretary of the Interior at one point refused to issue a building permit to allow construction to begin at the Memorial site. 925 0 obj <>stream Senator, referred to it as a nihilistic slab of stone. And political commentator Pat Buchanan accused one of the design judges of being a communist. Quizzes - Vietnam Veterans Memorial | Facts, Designer, & Controversy Within months after he recovered from his wounds and returned to his unit, the American public was learning the details of the events at My Lai. Some would chat with each other, and realize that experiences they had thought were theirs alone, was shared by many others. In 2009 the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund assumed responsibility for the maintenance of the site. Vietnam, however, was divided at the 17th parallel. The communist takeover of China and subsequent war in Korea (1950-53) against North Korean and Chinese troops had focused a great deal of attention on Southeast Asia as a place to take a strong stand against the spread of communism. The Memorials walls point to the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, thus bringing the Memorial into the historical context of our country. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. A few preliminary concepts were embraced. (A statue dedicated to the women who served in the Vietnam War was also added to the site in 1993. And her design was The controversy about the wall reflected Americas feelings at that time regarding our involvement in Vietnam. The women soldiers the nurses suffered too. Vietnam Veterans Memorial The memorial was completed in late October 1982 and dedicated in November 1982. I had calculated that it was possible to see all of them in a minimum of 3 1/2 hours. Warner, at the time married to Elizabeth Taylor, had strong connections to both Hollywood and the corporate world. On April 30, their tanks entered Saigon. Vietnam War memorial I have a Master's degree in military history from King's College, London and my cornucopia of interests include: World War II, World War II, and World War II. Over Lins objection, the federal Commission of Fine Arts bowed to political pressure and approved the addition to the memorial of a 50-foot-high flagpole on which to fly the Stars and Stripes and an eight-foot-high statue of three soldiers sculpted by Frederick Hart, who called Lins design nihilistic. The commission, however, mandated that they not be placed directly adjacent to the wall in order to preserve Lins design intent as much as possible. Children of men whose names were on the wall met veterans who knew other veterans who had known their fathers, and so on. so controversial On June 11, 1963, an elderly Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc sat down in the street in front of a pagoda in Saigon to protest Diems policies. I remind all of you of Martin Luther King Jr., who fought for justice for all Americans. We didnt have any space, but I liked their idea and told them I would volunteer to help with all that I could.. Maya Lin was practically a kid when her design was selected to become the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Their military experience meant they had contacts far and wide, at all levels of all professions, within government and the private sector. Their military experience meant they had contacts far and wide, at all levels of all professions, within government and the private sector. All Rights Reserved. Intellectually and emotionally, America could embrace the idea. Compounding the pain was that societys ill treatment of the veterans extended to their families. No government funds would be necessary. Lin became a design consultant to the architect of record. To bring the design into reality would require an architect of record. Author Tom Wolfe called it a tribute to [anti-war activist] Jane Fonda. Vietnam veteran Jim Webb, a future U.S. Military personnel, including nurses, were warned not to wear their uniforms in the States. By June 1977, Scruggs was attending graduate school at American University in Washington, D.C. and had embarked on a research study exploring the social and psychological consequences of Vietnam military duties. Those memories were fresh in the mind of the daughter of Chinese immigrants senior year when, as part of an assignment in her funereal architecture seminar, she designed a walled monument to veterans of the Vietnam War that was etched with the names of those who gave their lives. I had a general idea that I wanted to describe a journeya journey that would make you experience death and where youd have to be an observer, where you could never really fully be with the dead. Many Americans saw the Vietnam Memorial as a new, ugly reminder of the war their country had lost. The VVMF organizers soon learned that it required an Act of Congress to build a memorial on Federal land, and Scruggs first called one of the senators for his home state of Maryland. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Lins minimal plan was in sharp contrast to the traditional format for a memorial, which usually included figurative heroic sculpture. People felt it was too different from traditional war monuments. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial has been an issue of debate since its beginning, a debate that is far from worthwhile. Im the News & Social Editor at HistoryNet and a World War II researcher with an unparalleled affinity for Sir Winston Churchill, Spitfires, and Michigan football. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Not only did the controversy quickly quiet down, but the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has since become both widely praised and wildly popular. Jack was the visionary, the creative, big-picture guy. I mean, we won: The Century-Long Battle Over This Confederate Flag. The pilot of an F-8E Crusader did not see any ships in the area where the enemy was reported, and years later crew members said they never saw attacking craft. Because Warner was from Virginia and Mathias from Maryland, the two had worked together on many regional issues. The U.S. suffered over 47,000 killed in action, Kennedy himself was assassinated in Dallas, VC and NVA units launched a massive attack, CBS evening news anchor Walter Cronkite returned to Vietnam, https://www.historynet.com/the-vietnam-war-a-history-of-americas-controversial-war/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, Day One at Chancellorsville Hookers Big Mistake, Why? Direct mail was proving to be a highly effective fundraising tool. The Vietnam Womens Memorial was established to honor the women who risked their lives to serve their country. It's also influenced later designs like the World Trade Center Memorial, which also features the names of the dead etched into black stone. This grew into the operation known as Rolling Thunder that began on March 2, 1965, and continued to November 2, 1968. There is no distinction between officers and enlisted men, between heroic medal winners and those who died before their colleagues got to know themthey are simply named, in order. In July 1959, North Vietnams leaders passed an ordinance called for continued socialist revolution in the north and a simultaneous revolution in South Vietnam. ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) People of all ages got to explore a special helicopter at the nations second largest Vietnam veterans memorial on Saturday. Healing meant many things to many people. With permit in hand, Doubek instructedto commence construction immediately. They came from all parts of the country and represented every state. Vietnam: A History of America's Controversial War Warner, who had served as Secretary of the Navy during the war, was himself a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. What does the Vietnam Veterans Memorial look like? - 2023 Only a few, such as the St. Louis Gateway Arch, part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, had been the result of open competitions. Everyone wanted to join the effort. From the registration forms, it was apparent that architects, artists, designers, as well as veterans and students of all ages and all levels of experience were planning to participate. Or, people would tell me, Well why did you let him go? Of course, what choice do you have?. He had been a war correspondent during World War II and had reported from Vietnam during Americas early involvement. Partially, this happened because the subject of the Vietnam War itself was sensitive and painful for the public. The stage was now set for the battle under the new Union commander, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker. Bob was the detail person and a good writer. Lins wall design turned out to be more intelligent than many armchair critics had realized. Wearing well-worn uniforms, their bronze weapons seem heavy to them. It was a war fought between the communist Viet Cong from North Vietnam, and the The names of soldiers who were dead had a diamond symbol by their name and those missing in action had a plus symbol. Why was black granite chosen for the Vietnam Memorial? CHECK OUT: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Infographic. And if they were bitter, who could blame them? Why was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial so controversial? WebIt was built to honor those soldiers who died or were declared missing during ---- Vietnam War (1959-1975) for 16 years The memorial was designed by a --- student of architecture, ----- 21 year old, Maya Ying Lin The memorial shaped liked a V, and it is made of ---- black granite The walls are inscribed with over ---- names of soldiers 58,000 Why was the Vietnam War Memorial so controversial? With the winning design in hand, Spreiregen had less than 24 hours to craft an explanation of the decisionand the designthat would be suitable for presentation to VVMF. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) advised that was not the caseAmerica had a strong military presence in the Pacific that would serve as a deterrent. Some 80,000 Vietnamese from the south had moved to the north after the Geneva Agreements were signed. Waiting meant they would never reach their dedication deadline of November 11, 1982. endstream endobj 916 0 obj <>/Metadata 76 0 R/PageLayout/OneColumn/Pages 909 0 R/StructTreeRoot 158 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 917 0 obj <>/Font<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Type/Page>> endobj 918 0 obj <>stream History of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Vietnam Veterans Two nights later, Maddox and the destroyer USS Turner Joy were on patrol in the Gulf and reported they were under attack. Scruggs was raised in a rural Maryland town between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. His mother was a waitress; his father a milkman. The names are inscribed in the chronological order of their dates of casualty, showing the war as a series of individual human sacrifices and giving each name a special place in history. No one wanted the war to happen in the first place, so having a memorial was a constant reminder of the war no one wanted . Crowd at the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 1982. Vietnam WebThe Vietnam war memorial is significant and an historic reminder of how many men were lost and how the vietnam war was a dividing point in american history. They were the only father-son pair to die in Vietnam.) In less than two weeks, these strategic bombers had shattered the norths defenses. Not even three years after the memorial opened, the New York Times reported it was something of a surprise is how quickly America has overcome the divisions caused by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.. Listed chronologically by their KIA or MIA date are the names of the dead and missing. He also found that those veterans whose units experienced high casualty rates were experiencing higher divorce rates and a greater frequency of combat-related dreams. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. Earlier, Wild Bill Donovan, head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the World War II forerunner of the CIA, had also advised that the U.S. had nothing to gain and much to lose by becoming involved in what was then French Indochina. On March 5, 1975, the NVA invaded again. . As the owner of her own New York City architectural studio, she designs a wide variety of structures from houses to museums to chapels. Please be respectful of others. {W^|\5W8\5WnJp%X99!88AHp1F b @_bYR!uLrLf0``be2p9c_( X< %X )?\Fm j] Wheeler had the idea to bypass the traditional site selection route and have Congress pass legislation to award a specific area for a memorial site. Financial costs had risen to $30 billion a year. On August 2, two North Vietnamese torpedo boats in broad daylight engaged USS Maddox, which was gathering communications intelligence in the Gulf of Tonkin. I heard that those present agreed to double their contributions after Taylor completed her remarks, Scruggs said. Letters came from moms, dads, grandparents, sons and daughters with heartfelt notes accompanied by checks and dollar bills. The guidelines stipulated that the memorial should contain the names of every American who died in Vietnam or remained missing in action, make no political statement about the war, be in harmony with its surroundings and be contemplative in character. Many who visit leave behind But others lambasted it as an insult. Undoubtedly, news media played an important role in Americans saying, Enough. Indeed, Vo Nyugen Giap had always envisioned using media as one of his spear points for victory. A lingering question of the war is what might have happened if Eisenhower and Ho had arranged a meeting; possibly, an accord could have been reached, or possibly Ho was simply seeking to limit American involvement, in order to more easily depose the Diem government. Throughout her freshman and sophomore years, she watched as stonecutters added to the honor roll by etching the names of those killed in the Vietnam War. During President Dwight Eisenhowers administration (19531961), financial aid was given to pay South Vietnams military forces and American advisors were sent to help train them. Some argued that the memorial should rise from the ground and not sink into the earth as if it was something to be hidden. The peasants resented being forced from their ancestral lands, and consolidating them gave the VC better targets. Some critics even resorted to racially insulting Lin, the daughter of Chinese immigrants. Civilian loss of life was also very heavy, with the lowest estimates around 415,000. The Mission of Cheaper Than Dirt! From the very beginning I often wondered, if it had not been an anonymous entry 1026 but rather an entry by Maya Lin, would I have been selected? she would later write. By years end, 2,573 individuals and teams had registered almost 3,800 people in total. In July 1959 Major Dale Buis and Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand were off duty when they were killed during an attack at Bien Hoa. Jesse Greenspan is a Bay Area-based freelance journalist who writes about history and the environment.