Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/04/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I strikes me the that the Vietnam Memorial and the proposed WWII monument are two very different beasts. The Vietnam Memorial is not simply a 'war memorial,' it is at once a very stirring memorial to the sacrifice of those who served, whose service was often denigrated at the time of the war, and a powerful anti-war memorial - not anti-Vietnam war per se, but anti-War. One cannot spend any time at that memorial without thinking about the loss reflected by those tablets, and at least asking when such sacrifice is worthwhile. As to WWII- Adam is right - the very independent existence of the U.S. all the countries that fell under Axis domination is a monument to WWII -to say nothing of the Iwo Jima memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and the countless number of WWII memorials around the U.S., and western Europe. The Mall in D.C. is becoming far too cluttered; one of the wonderful things about the Vietnam Memorial is that it doesn't clutter the Mall, but is incorporated into it. B. D. -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Adam Bridge Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 1:53 PM To: Leica Users Group Subject: RE: [Leica] The Wall, Ted Grants message, and names It's important to remember that the Wall was itself very controversial when its design was selected and then built with many vet groups decrying it and demanding that a more tradition monument be built. It was, but it is completely overshadowed by the power of the Wall. I believe there is a documentary about the process but I haven't had time to google around to find it. Alas the movement to build a WW II monument on the Mall missed the point - that the existance of the West is the monument for the battle they fought so now the National Mall will have a vast monument added. Well, maybe I'm as wrong as the critics of the Wall. The Wall is a powerful memorial, whether the small one on tour (that was here in the Central Valley quite recently), or the actual one on the Mall overseen by Lincoln. There are names of friends on that way, people I went to school with, a sea of names, a reminder of the price we all paid, those most especially, for war. Adam Bridge _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information