A VIETNAM VETERAN
Written: Sep 27 '00 (Updated Oct 20 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: we should never forget them
Cons: too few memorials to honor them
The Bottom Line: It's a piece of history that should never be forgotten.
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| Donnie013's Full Review: Vietnam Veterans Memorial |
Review Topic: Sights & AttractionsReview Topic: Sights & AttractionsWhile visiting my sister in Maryland, we drove to Washington so I could visit THE WALL. I could hardly believe just how huge this monument is.
The Wall is situated between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. The purpose for its position is to place the memorial into the context of American history.
The polished black granite surface was specifically chosen to set it apart from the other monuments thereby giving it its own special place of honor, and also to reflect the surrounding trees, lawns and monuments, to bring it into peaceful harmony with the other national memorials.
It was heartbreaking to see so many names - totaling well over 50,000. To add to this awesome structure are the people who visit it: parents with memories of lost sons and daughter, middle-aged women remembering their brothers and husbands, college students who are there out of curiosity.
Lying at the base of this Wall of names, you'll find weather-beaten teddy bears, fresh and decaying flowers of every species, photographs and poems - all sorts of memorabilia to give this large black wall the personal touch for which it so desperately cries out.
Yes, it does cry out for its own personality. It cries out to be remembered. The names of all those etched on this massive memorial cry out never to be forgotten. While families and friends will never forget, The Wall cries for the world to remember.
for Ed Hogan, my childhood best friend (1947-1969) and my brother, Frank (1945-1995) and the many others, living and dead, who must never be forgotten.
A VIETNAM VETERAN
I watched him limp as we walked my way;
There was sadness in his eyes.
His clothes were ragged and wrinkled
And time seemed to have passed him by.
He seemed like he didn't belong here
And yet he had been a part
Of a time when the turmoil around us
Tugged violently at all of our hearts.
I tried to offer some comfort
But he gave me a half-hearted grin.
He said, "No matter how hard I try,
I just can't seem to fit in."
He looked much older than his 50 years;
I thought back to a time long ago
When he was a handsome young soldier.
Oh God! What if we'd only known.
If we had known of the outcome
Would things be different today?
Would we have turned our backs on the world?
Or still sent our young men away?
The man said I shouldn't be worried
And hoped he wouldn't offend,
But if he had it to do all over,
He'd do it all over again.
He'd be willing, again, to shoulder a gun
And put his fears and his hurt aside.
After all, he was defending his country.
His eyes glowed with a young soldier's pride.
The mental scars were more painful
When the soldiers came home from the war.
Our country considered them outcasts
And cast them aside all the more.
It seems like it was just yesterday
When I spoke with this man who'd been brave.
Now with tears mixed with pride and yet sadness,
I kneel praying at my brother's grave.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Donnie013
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Margaret Brennan
Location: Punta Gorda Isles, FL
Reviews written: 449
Trusted by: 286 members
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