In an article in the Washington Post, writer Tom Wolfe defined the debate over the inclusion of Harts figurative memorial as a story of art experts and the Vietnam veteransand of how the veterans asked for a war memorial and wound up with an enormous pit they now refer to as a tribute to Jane Fonda. Photo by William Bill Lecky. The memorial, located near the western end of the Mall, is a black granite V-shaped wall inscribed with the names of the approximately 58,000 men and women who were killed or missing in action. In addition to the accounts of its creation, sev- Marinesnear Van Truong, from the VC point of view. Because Warner was from Virginia and Mathias from Maryland, the two had worked together on many regional issues. North Vietnam, had by then established a presence in Laos and developed the Ho Chi Minh Trail through that country in order to resupply and reinforce its forces in South Vietnam. Despite the fact that beyond certain superficial qualities, Lins memorial shared little in common with the work of classic Minimalist artists such as Richard Serra or Donald Judd, critics nonetheless conflated it with Serras equally controversial Tilted Arc, labeling it another example of an inscrutable Minimalist public artwork erected at taxpayers expense. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. Sturken notes, "the memorial was seen as a monument to defeat, one that spoke more directly to a nation's guilt than to the honor of the war dead and the veterans." The disagreements over the design revealed anxiety about ownership of the war's representation. Why Were Vietnam War Vets Treated Poorly When They . For Woods, the growing coalition was a prime example of its not what you know, its who you know. These people, though a small group, were able to reach out to their networks and their extensive contacts to recruit the type of expertise and support required for such a mammoth initiative. Editors note: This essay was originally published on Art21.org in November 2011. The National Review commented, The mode of listing the names makes them individual deaths, not deaths in a cause; they might as well have been traffic accidents. Similarly, the New Republic opined: It is an unfortunate choice of memorial. Perhaps Lins centralitytwenty years after the construction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorialto the debate over Arads and Walkers design was inevitable, given her presence on the design competitions selection committee as well as her legacy as the definitive memorial builder of the late twentieth century. Yet, to say the media cost America victory in Vietnam is vastly oversimplifying a very complex situation. With permit in hand, Doubek instructedto commence construction immediately. As the commentaries of Wolfe, the New Republic, and the National Review demonstrate, the media was happy to add fuel to the fire of the veterans indignation through editorial contributions and obsessive coverage of the debate. During the 1970s, it . Scruggs took two weeks off from his job at the Department of Labor to develop the idea further. A memorial made perfect sense to him. The Vietnam War Starts In 1954, following the defeat of the French colonialists at the hands of the Viet Minh at Dien Bien Phu, the last battle of the First Indochina War, the country of. The entire text size and layout Lin saw as an open book. On the other hand, Congress had never declared war and so the president was limited in what he could do in Southeast Asia. Maya Lin, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 198182. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 Cupp had experienced firsthand the pains caused by the war. 400,000 1 million military Scruggs took a bold step in contacting Virginia Senator John Warner. 4 (Summer 1996): 685. Mai also remembers being annoyed when her playtime was interrupted by the air-raid sirens. Maya Lins original competition submission for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. When I was attending law school, Vietnam veterans were an anomaly among the young single professional set of Washington, so it was something you didnt mention. remembered Doubek. Veterans needed this, and so did the nation. Maya Lin, has gone on to become a respected architect and artist, with a studio in New York City. Many pushed friends in wheelchairs. The following February a strategic hamlet program began; it forcibly relocated South Vietnamese peasants to fortified strategic hamlets. 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. They serve as testaments to lives lost, as repositories of grief, and to facilitate processes of mourning. ' Continuing, Wolfe sarcastically asked: Shouldnt public sculpture delight the public or inspire the public or at least remind the public of cherished traditions? . At the time of the memorials design, many veterans who had been exposed to Agent Orange, a chemical weapon used by the U.S. military as an herbicide and defoliant, still suffered ongoing health problems. The bronze sculpture, depicting three women caring for an injured soldier, recognized the work of the more than 10,000 women who served in Vietnam. Just as the American people could be a part of building the Memorial through their contributions and support, they could also have an opportunity to participate in its design. Its detractors perceived it as a monument to defeat, one that spoke more directly to a nations guilt than to the honor of the war dead and the veterans, describing it as the black gash of shame, the degrading ditch, and a wailing wall for draft dodgers and New Lefters of the future.4 Responding to its lack of narrative content, Senator James Webb called it nihilistic. Interestingly (given their opposing political positions), both the National Review and the New Republic equated the list of names with a police report on a traffic accident. They really worked well together and were the driving force. Once there was no more room for conflictthe memorials form, upon dedication, was no longer negotiablethe front in this culture war moved elsewhere. On Saturday, a grand parade took place where veterans marched joyously out of sync, some hand-in-hand or with their arms draped around one another, holding banners, flags, and signs. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Security was improving even as American forces were in the process of withdrawing. Joe Biden's slogan that it was time "to end the forever war" in Afghanistan was called imbecilic by former Prime Minister Tony Blair. He made an impassioned plea for funding to his guests, members of the defense industry. Many veterans, politicians, critics, and the general public read its refusal to explicitly glorify the war or frame the listed soldiers sacrifice in recognizably heroic terms as an ideological statement, proof of Linsand the memorialspurported anti-war position. One of Mathias early key suggestions was that the memorial should be on the Mall, especially because the anti-war demonstrations had taken place there. Furthermore, he explicitly framed his interpretation of the memorial in (perceived) opposition to an explicitly artistic perspective. You may have been tear-choked as you touched or watched others touch "the Wall" at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the most visited war memorial in our nation's capital. monument, Washington, District of Columbia, United States. The plan, however, was eventually scrapped, once the initial haggling over the racial identity of the firefighters gave way to accusations of political correctness on the part of the memorials planners.20. Perhaps thats an appropriate design for those who would spit on us still. For years, American society as a whole, regardless of political affiliation, had studiously ignored Vietnam veterans, their presence a painful reminder of the wars moral ambiguity. Mathias set up a meeting so he could learn more. To achieve this effect she chose polished black granite for the walls. Corrections? The names of the eight women who died in Vietnam are included on the list of over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. 10. Vietnam veteran Joseph Zengerle, then an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, volunteered the use of an aircraft hangar at Andrews Air Force Base. In 1973 a "third" Vietnam war begana continuation, actuallybetween North and South Vietnam but without significant U.S. involvement. From the beginning, people have left tributes at its base. I had my ear to the ground, Mathias recalled. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display, History of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Paul Haagas spouse, Heather Sturt Haaga, soon came forward to lend her experience in fund raising. On January 21, 1970, Jan Scruggs was having his morning cup of coffee, but he was far from his kitchen table at home. William Jayne, who had been wounded in Vietnam, volunteered to head up public relations activities. To treat the Vietnam dead like the victims of some monstrous traffic accident is more than a disservice to history; it is a disservice to the memory of the 57,000.5. Its army lacked reserves, while the NVA was growing. After Lins monument was dedicated on November 13, 1982, however, it became a popular and moving tourist attraction. This began a series of destabilizing changes in government leadership. In April 1995, Vietnams communist government said 1.1 million combatants had died between 1954 and 1975, and another 600,000 wounded. On April 30, their tanks entered Saigon. To make matters worse, Diem responded by sending troops to raid pagodas. It was a whirlwind of events, and the press coverage was unbelievable. Could a memorial accomplish such an enormous and daunting task? The Memorials walls point to the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, thus bringing the Memorial into the historical context of our country. Vietnam, however, was divided at the 17th parallel. (An American medic treated him during World War II, probably saving his life.) And if they themselves didnt know how to help, they knew someone who did. Tensions between blacks and whites had been intensifying for years as African Americans sought to change centuries-old racial policies. They were either ignored or shouted at and called vicious names. The insurgency was called the National Liberation Front (PLF); however, its soldiers and operatives became more commonly known by their opponents as the Viet Cong (VC), short for Vietnamese Communists. 9. One day in October 1969, fifteen members of the Americal Division wore black armbands while they were on patrol, the symbol antiwar protestors wore in the states. But Lin doesn't like anybody "drawing mustaches" on her design and, with the support of many in the Art world, pressures the Commission of Fine Arts to scuttle the compromise and hatch a new one. Jan was a great spokesperson. Ultimately, the VVMF Board agreed on a jury of the most experienced and prestigious artists and designers that could be found, since it took a mature eye to envision from two-dimensional renderings how a design would look when built. In November, a coup deposed Diem, with the blessing of Kennedys administration, which had quietly assured South Vietnams military leaders it was not adverse to a change in leadership and military aid would continue. With the jury selected, the next task was to announce and promote the competition. I am tired of hearing it called such by you. Why reinforce the bourgeoisies pathetic illusions? Instead, the memorial became a dividing line between factions both real and imagined. They would include a big National Salute to Vietnam Veterans at Veterans Day. But the memorial might not exist in the form we see today if it weren't for the support of architects who defended the young architect's controversial design. The hope is that the creation of the Memorial will begin a healing process, Doubek wrote. He had studied the work of psychiatrist Carl Jung, a student of Sigmund Freud, who wrote of shared societal values. Although the United States won the war in a numerical sense, having far less casualties than North Vietnam, the U.S. did not accomplish what they had set out to do. It distributed an instructional booklet communicating its vision to all who registered for the competition. (Some in the North Vietnamese government thought the course of war in the south was unwise, but they were overruled.) Laos, South Vietnam: 850,000 Ibid. They needed to secure a plot of land, raise funds and public awareness, design the Memorial, coordinate construction, and organize the dedication ceremonies. 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. Scruggs and Doubek met with Mathias to outline their plans. On April 27, 1979, Doubek incorporated the fledgling entity, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and Scruggs asked him to be an officer and director. They were also keenly aware that the legislation made the Memorials design subject to the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), and the Secretary of the Interior. Lin and VVMF eventually selectedthe Cooper-Lecky Partnership as the architect-of-record, with Lin as the projects design consultant. In the nine months since he'd been in-country, Scruggs had already seen a lot of action and had been wounded in a battle near Xuan Loc. Once Scruggs decided to build the memorial, the next step was to get some people behind him. Based on a program the British had employed successfully against insurgents in Malaya, it didnt work in Vietnam. Under those agreements, Cambodia and Laoswhich had been part of the French colonyreceived their independence. The flag-waving crowds even cheered., Over the four days there were also workshops, parties, events, and reunions. Following a march by thousands of veterans through the streets of Washington, D.C., to the National Mall site, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on November 13, 1982. Maya Lin was practically a kid when her design was selected to become the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. 1) it commemorated an unpopular war. We had to constantly find the most effective next step to take and be sure not to get waylaid by tangents. The group started to hold regular planning meetings. By early 1982, VVMF asked Warner to bring together both sides for a closed-door session to hammer out the issues. Dark tourism, also known as black tourism, thanatourism or grief tourism, is tourism that is associated with death or tragedy. Many felt it should be composed primarily of veterans; others felt it should be made up only of professionals; some thought a mix of the two would be best. During the Second World War, Vichy France could do little to protect its colony from Japanese occupation. It ended with communist victory in April 1975. The peasants resented being forced from their ancestral lands, and consolidating them gave the VC better targets. By the time the compromise statue is dedicated, a move for the addition of a women's memorial is already underway. In fact, he would spend a lifetime trying to honor their memory. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. 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. But the fact that the language deployed to critique Arads and Walkers design so closely echoed the criticism launched against Lin in the early 1980s signifies that the debates of that era remain unresolved. He would never forget those friends. They set their sights in support of the clear, simple vision Scruggs outlined:to honor the warrior and not the war. But, say those opposed, the men represent the women, the men represent all soldiers . 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. He closed by saying: To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. Ho attempted to contact Eisenhower to discuss Vietnam but received no answer. The military dog tags, flowers, war medals, photographs, and even favorite toys left behind aid the healing process. The National Park Service archives most of the nonperishable items left at The Wall. Yet, this seemingly god-given shrine wears political feet of clay, and behind it lies a fierce controversy that re-opened the wounds of the war the memorial was designed to heal. 2. North Vietnam Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The first American fatality was Air Force Technical Sergeant Richard B. Fitzgibbon, Jr., killed June 8, 1956. The Memorial had several purposes, he explained. An article by Hugh Sidey in the February 22, 1982, issue ofTIMEmagazine described the session: A few days ago, 40 supporters and critics of the memorial gathered to try to break the impasse that threatened the memorial because of such features as the black color of the stone and its position below ground level. Ho Chi Minh led a communist government in the north (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) with its capital at Hanoi, and a new Republic of South Vietnam was established under President Ngo Dinh Diem, with its capital at Saigon. Maya Lin worked closely with Cooper-Lecky on all aesthetic aspects of the design. To created credibility for the fledgling effort, they formed the National Sponsoring Committee, which included then-first lady Rosalynn Carter, former President Gerald Ford, Bob Hope, future first lady Nancy Reagan, Gen. William C. Westmoreland, USA, Vietnam veteran author James Webb, and Adm. James J. Stockdale, USN. Vietnam veteran Jan Scruggs, the individual to first pitch the idea of a memorial, used $2,800 of his own money to begin the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund in 1979, according to History. But several weeks after the announcement, a handful of people began to protest the design. You had to live through that period to really understand it. Wheeler suggested that it should be a landscaped solution: a peaceful, park-like setting that could exist harmoniously with the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Eventually, a compromise was reached with the commissioning of a traditional statue depicting three servicemen with a flag to stand at the entrance to the memorial. The photo of the South Vietnamese police chief, for example, cannot by itself explain he had just seen the dead body of a close friend minutes before; even Eddie Adams, the photojournalist who snapped the photo felt it unfairly maligned Lt. Col. Loan. In 1993 the Vietnam Womens Memorial was unveiled a short distance from the wall. In March 1979, inspired by the Hollywood film The Deer Hunter, Scruggs launched a personal crusade to raise funds for a memorial that would pay tribute to the soldiers who had lost their lives in the war. Another article in the same issue of the Post echoed Wolfes definition of the terms of the debate, commenting that: There is a discordance between the sophisticated wall and the unsophisticated statue. But can America truly mean that we should feel honored by that black pit?6. Early on in the effort to get the Memorial built, there were traces of controversy. The jurors began by touring the site and then returned to Hangar #3 at Andrews to view each of the 1,421 designs individually. Moreover, could it accomplish all of that while listing the approximately 58,000 names in an artistic, meaningful way? to the memorial, as well as the rituals that take place there and what role the memorial may be playing in the construction of a his-tory of the Vietnam War.8 Beyond the academic discourse, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has also in-spired a considerable popular literature. As conservatives sought to consolidate their gains following Reagans election, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial controversy presented an opportunity for conservatives to harness both the affective power of the veterans fury and the resulting public outcry on their behalf. He was in Vietnam, serving in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. Although thousands of people were there, It was so very quiet, Wheeler recalled. The women soldiers the nurses suffered too. The VC were often supplemented by units of the Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN), more often called simply the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) by those fighting against it. After 25 years, the way in which visitors have embraced and cherished this work has been a great gift to me, she wrote in the program for the 25th anniversary ceremony. The program, which had been poorly managed, was abandoned after about two years, following the coup that deposed Diem. On the off chance that military and political analysts are right, in the next few months we must test the enemys intentions, in case this is indeed his last big gasp before negotiations. In the Rose Garden of the White House, immediately following President Jimmy Carters signing of the bill, Scruggs explained to the press the vision of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the non-profit organization that collected and administered the funds for the memorial. It was such a great cause, and they were bound and determined to make it happen.. Financial costs had risen to $30 billion a year. Just before Christmas 1979, Warner hosted a fundraising breakfast in his Georgetown home. But the slogan has proved remarkably effective and points to a deep truth: forever is a very short time in democratic politics, writes Philip Collins. Spreiregen wrote, I saw this as a needed opportunity to honor the service and lives of the soldiers we had lost and do so by running a model competition., Arthur Mosley headed the site selection task group and was assisted by John Woods, a structural engineer, who had been permanently disabled in a helicopter crash in Vietnam. I ran over to see a truck on fire and a dozen of my friends dying. They had been unloading an ammunition truck when the explosion occurred. The memorial was built to honor that spirit and the sacrifice of so many who gave everything they had to give. The designs were received and processed in a large warehouse east of Washington. We didnt have any space, but I liked their idea and told them I would volunteer to help with all that I could.. The earliest of these battles was the controversy over Lins design. I had calculated that it was possible to see all of them in a minimum of 3 1/2 hours. The Vietnam Wall, as it's commonly known, stands as a tribute to the war's veterans, who consider it a tangible symbol that the American people recognized and honored for their service. Two U.S. helicopter units arrived in Saigon in 1961. But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? He, in turn, called the Buddhists VC sympathizers. Then, on March 30, 1972, the North Vietnamese attacked across the 17th parallel with 14 divisions and additional individual regiments. They came from all parts of the country and represented every state. The Vietnam Wall Controversy, Round 4, 1982, History on Trial, Lehigh University Digital Library, accessed April 21, 2011, https://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/trial/vietnam/r4/1982/. Among South Vietnams other allies, Australia had over 400 killed and 2,400 wounded; New Zealand, over 80 KIA; Republic of Korea, 4,400 KIA; and Thailand 350 killed. 17. For the millions of people who visit each year, Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall sends a chilling message about war, heroism, and sacrifice. Images of fighting, of dead and wounded soldiers, of POWs held in North Vietnam were beamed into Americas living rooms night after night, as was footage of hundreds, sometimes thousands of antiwar protestors marching through the streets. Earlier, in March 1968, the Americal Division had been involved in what became known as the My Lai Massacre, in which over 100 men, women and children were killed. Doubek approached Scruggs after the meeting and suggested that he form a nonprofit corporation as a vehicle to build a memorial. Marling and Silberman, 11. Ironically, the leadership of North Vietnam came to a similar conclusion: they had to inflict enough casualties on Americans to end support for the war on the U.S. homefront and force a withdrawal before the U.S. could build up sufficient numbers of men and material to defeat them. Larry Century, a young inventor from Cleveland, Ohio,was selected to serve as a consultant to Binswanger Glass Company in Memphis, Tennessee, which was awarded the contract for inscribing the names. Many who visit leave behind items in memoriam to those that have served. Today, The Wall continues to be the most-visited memorial on the National Mall, attracting more than five million people each year. Lin became a design consultant to the architect of record. Together, we can make sure our heroes will get the reverence they deserve and the stories and sacrifices of our heroes will never be forgotten. He cited the growing coalition was a prime example of its not what you know, its who you know. These people, though a small group, were able to reach out to their networks and their extensive contacts to recruit the type of expertise and support required for such a mammoth initiative. Overview Military conscription, commonly known as "the draft," is one of the most complex topics related to the Vietnam War. 16. That disparity would decline before the war ended, but the racial tensions at home began to insert themselves into the military in Vietnam, damaging unit morale. It was designed by American architect Maya Lin. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands as a symbol of America's honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War. Carhart equated artists and their defenders with individuals who engaged in acts of aggression against returned soldiers, and who were thus correlated with the entirety of the anti-war movement. Memory Foundations (planned design for former site of World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, New York). The first fundraising letter was signed by Bob Hope. The Inspiration. 1. By years end, 2,573 individuals and teams had registered almost 3,800 people in total. However, polls consistently showed the majority of Americans supported the war. 1. Veterans frequently found themselves denying their time in Vietnam, never mentioning their service to new friends and acquaintances for fear of the reactions it might elicit. Tour Washington D.C.'s Arlington National Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknowns, and Vietnam Veterans Memorial, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Vietnam-Veterans-Memorial, How Stuff Works - History - Vietnam Veterans Memorial, National Park Service - Vietnam Veterans Memorial. In July 1980, Congress passed a bill authorizing three acres on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to serve as the memorial site. With the seed money from several defense industry donors, especially Grumman Aerospace, VVMF launched its first large-scale direct mail campaign to reach out to the public. But the meeting gave Scruggs his first ally: former Air Force intelligence officer and attorney Robert Doubek, who thought a memorial was a good idea. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. It would help veterans heal. 3 (August 2004): 122. After meeting with the VVMF officers and advisors, Warner volunteered to help the organization raise the seed money needed to launch the fund raising campaign.