Posted on 11/09/2002 10:44:11 AM PST by SAMWolf
Thousands will gather at the National Mall in the coming days to witness and participate in ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
The weeklong remembrance began with a musical tribute to Vietnam veterans Nov. 6 and will end with a Veterans Day observance Nov. 11. In between, more than 1,000 volunteers will read the names inscribed on "The Wall," starting at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 7 and ending at midnight Nov. 10.
It is only the third time in The Wall's history that all 58,229 names will be read aloud. Volunteers, each reciting an average of 30 names, will read for about 19 hours each day Nov. 8-10. The full list of names was read in 1982 as part of the memorial's dedication and again in 1992 during activities commemorating the memorial's 10th anniversary.
Master Sgt. Angeline Robinson, the Pentagon's vice president of the Washington Area Top 3, will attend a reading for the second time, although this will be her first as a participant. She attended The Wall's 10th anniversary reading, and obtained a "wall rubbing" on behalf of her boss at the time, Adm. David E. Jeremiah, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The name of Jeremiah's nephew was one of those being read.
"When I remembered that, this year's reading became very significant to me," she said. "I decided to participate because it's a way to honor those who went before us."
Thirty-four Air Force members from the Washington Area Top 3 will read 540 names, beginning at 11:24 p.m. Nov. 8.
"It's a way for us to give back," Robinson said. "It's as simple as that."
For some, though, the symbolism of reading the names on The Wall goes deeper. One of those is Bao Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American who was once jailed by the North Vietnamese, later served as a South Vietnamese Army officer, and currently works at the Pentagon on the Air Force Chief Information Officer's staff.
"Each year (on Veterans Day), I have a need to express my gratitude to all American veterans in general, all the Vietnam veterans in particular, and to the more than 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for their sacrifices to defend the freedom of a people in a place they hardly knew," Nguyen said. "(And it's) not just me alone. Overseas, Vietnamese are forever grateful for those sacrifices."
For more information on the 20th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Web site
The Vietnam Service Medal
and
The Vietnam Campaign Medal
This is my young brother-in-law. This little profile doesn't tell you that he left a young wife and two small daughters, or that Larry and Linda were childhood sweethearts. It doesn't tell you that he and his wife were distant cousins. I am determined to honor this young man. With the exception of his parents, spouse and children and siblings, I don't think anyone has given him personal, individual honor for his service since the day the flag was presented to Linda and the casket was lowered into the ground. We all honor all our fallen heroes, but it would take forever to give each of them the recognition he deserves, so we usually honor them as a group of whatever size. For this reason, I post this information here, so you all can know that Larry has never been forgotten.
One of the first job of the 173rd Airborne Brigade was to provide security for the air base at Bien Hoa. Ask him if he was at the Bob Hope show in 1965. If so, we were in the same audience.
Memories are funny things, it is strange what can trigger a memory, a familiar sight, a sound, a smell or music. One such trigger for me is a song they came out in the 60s that includes the name of a comrade. When I hear that song, it always brings me back to the day and time I heard he had been killed.
One demon that haunts many veterans is the question "why me, why did I survive, and they didn't.
Living can sometimes be harder then dying.
<====
The only Viet Nam era movie I have seen was John Wayne's Green Beret. I have not seen any of the others. Stange huh? I have seen Civil War movies, WWI and WWII movies, but I can not bring myself to go to a Viet Nam war movie.
But, I have not been able to bring myself to go see the wall either.
I used to be able to say that I'd never seen a Viet Nam era movie until I bought "We Were Soldiers." My husband and I watched it (I should say HE watched it. I couldn't believe how realistic it was, how agonizing, how heartbreaking. I'd come out to watch it, and my hands would involuntarily cover my eyes, and I'd have to leave the room for a few minutes. It is not for the faint of heart. Don't feel bad if you can't stand to see the things that touch those memories. Most of the rest of us can't, either. (((CIB-173RDABN))) Thanks for serving, and thanks for coming home! God bless you.
Hope to see you soon.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.