9/11 and Vietnam Memorials

This Halloween I did something that I normally don’t do on Halloween. This year, we attended the 9/11 and Vietnam Memorials. This trip was ironically appropriate to be doing on Halloween, but aside from the fact that both aspects of the day involved death, they both dealt with death very differently. Unlike Halloween’s rather irreverent approach to death, both memorials showed great respect for those who died in the 9/11 attacks and the Vietnam War.
The 9/11 memorial was a very beautiful place to be in, and that was what very unique about it. This memorial was an entire place and not just a wall made of stone. The memorial was built on the site where the two towers once stood. It consisted of a very large space with trees and two very large pools, representing the towers themselves. The pools were absolutely magnificent and thought provoking. Each pool had water flowing into a smaller pool and then into an even smaller pool that seemed almost bottomless. Perhaps this represents the effects that the falling of the towers had. The destruction of the attacks grew larger and larger as the moments passed, until the grief and horror seemed to be never ending, like the pit in the middle of each pool. Each pool also had the names of those who died in the tragedy engraved on their edges. The large number of names on each pool was extremely saddening, and it was really upsetting to see the phrase “and her unborn child” written next to many of the women’s names. Among all of the bitter and sad feelings I had from being in this place, there was also a sense of peace created by the beauty of the memorial. It almost seemed as if the beauty of the memorial tried to bring the souls of those who died, and their families, peace. One very large contributing factor to my feelings toward this memorial was the fact that I was alive when this happened, and I know people who were greatly affected by this atrocity.
Afterwards, we went to the Vietnam Memorial. This memorial seemed to be a bit forgotten. Unlike the 9/11 Memorial, there was no one else present, and it was not as well kept. Nonetheless, it was still beautiful. I was extremely affected by the letters written by soldiers included in the memorial. This aspect really helped convey the horrible effects of the war and what it was like to be alive during this time. This was especially helpful for someone like me, who was a bit detached from the event due to the passage of time. Another aspect of the memorial that was very compelling was the list of soldiers who died and their ages. Many of those who died were my age or a year older. They were just kids who witnessed the absolute worst aspect of life and human nature. The generation that held the future of society was sent off to be killed for absolutely no reason, and that was the most disgusting and saddening aspect of the Vietnam War.