Memorials: 9/11 and Vietnam

Since I have never been to either the 9/11 or Vietnam memorials, it was definitely a different experience than reading about it in the textbooks or hearing about it in the news. Both memorials allowed me to connect to the events on a deeper level, but each memorial was different to me.

The 9/11 memorial had a much larger impact. It could have been due to the fact that 9/11 occurred during my lifetime, but I think what really impacted me were the two waterfalls. They immediately caught my attention and I began to wonder why they made the memorial consist of these waterfalls within waterfalls. In addition, the amount of names along the waterfall edges showed me the true magnitude of 9/11.

The Vietnam memorial, on the other hand, was a different experience. Not only did the memorial have a wall filled with personal messages from those in the Vietnam War, it also had a different effect on me. It seemed more personal but also not as personal as the 9/11 memorial, because it did not have the names of all those in the Vietnam war, only a few. It seemed to give a narrower view of the Vietnam War because there were only a few messages to base an opinion about it. However, these personal messages did allow me to connect with those who were in the Vietnam War, more than names can.

Overall, I think both of these memorials had a very large and different impact on me. They are, in a way, a remembrance of those we’ve lost and their sacrifices.