The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

"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" is the opening line to the site of the founders of the wall. The American-Vietnam war was a momentous occasion, well-grounded in American history and identity. The builders and designers of the wall connected with families of the veterans and those who had lost their lives to gain a personal perspective of the memorial. The funding of the Wall was public, initially from industry donors and celebrities such as Bob Hope. Then donations began pouring in once the founders began accepting money from the public. This serves as a reminder that memorials must come at some form of financial cost.

One of the first sections of the website is a "Visit the Wall" page where a visitor can plan their visit. In this sense, the memorial can be read two ways: 1. A citizen may pay their respects to lost love ones or just to the standardised American wartime identity, or 2. This is a tourist attraction for people from all around the world to view and explore as voyeurs of American exceptionalism. The memorial then becomes subjective not only to those involved in its creation, but to anyone who views it.

However, there are many educational features to this. School trips are often hosted and the site has memorial services now and again. The Wall could potentially have healing effects for medical cases regarding veterans of the war. It has been documented in several studies that veterans of the war suffered severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Kulka et. al., 1990; Wolfe et al., 1994). Recent psychological studies have also proven that art and visualisation can be a progressive aid in healing PTSD to normative standard. Given that PTSD has been a dominant aspect of war culture for centuries in a variety of formats, the Wall could be interpreted as a legacy not only for those who died, but an aid for those left behind in the aftermath. The inclusion of "veterans" in the name of the memorial could also hint at this notion. Melissa Walker provides an in-depth look at this theory with conclusive findings in the TED talk featured below:

In conclusion, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall could be interpreted in several ways. It could be seen as a sign of American exceptionalism, that this country is not above invading other nations to prove their power and integrity. It could also be seen as an educational piece, meant for those who do not know or understand the war and its intention. However, I believe the Wall is a sign of preserved history in action, with good intent to make sure those who survived the war, those who did not, and the families of both were and still are recognised.


References
1. Kulka, Richard A, William E Schlenger, John A Fairbank, Richard L Hough, B Kathleen Jordan, Charles R Marmar, and Daniel S Weiss. “Trauma and the Vietnam War Generation: Report of Findings from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study.” PsycCRITIQUES 36, no. 4 (1990). doi:10.1037/029684.
2.  Wolfe, Jessica, Paula P. Schnurr, Pamela J. Brown, and Joan Furey. “Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and War-Zone Exposure as Correlates of Perceived Health in Female Vietnam War Veterans.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 62, no. 6 (1994): 1235–40. doi:10.1037//0022-006x.62.6.1235.
3.  “About the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.” 2017. Accessed March 6, 2017. http://www.vvmf.org/memorial.