Category — Architecture/Place/Memorial

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.

My visit to the Vietnam Memorial and 9/11 Memorial were very emotional for me. Particularly the Vietnam Memorial. The Vietnam Memorial felt more personal to me. Unlike the 9/11 Memorial, where the names of the dead were displayed for everyone to see, the Vietnam Memorial included names as well as letters written by the soldiers. Those excerpts from those letters helped me see them as human beings, as someone to whom I could relate. It made me think what their lives were like in Vietnam, always on the alert, knowing they could die at any moment. The 9/11 Memorial on the other hand, although extremely tragic, was more impersonal to me, maybe because I never lost anyone in the attack, or because I was never in the country at the time.

Another reason the Vietnam Memorial had a greater emotional impact on me was because of its isolation. The 9/11 Memorial as turned into a tourist spot. I saw far too many people taking “selfies” and striking ridiculous poses at so solemn a site. It was disrespectful. Therefore, It was hard to become emotionally connected to that place. The Vietnam Memorial, on the other hand, was far removed from the more traditional tourist locations. Our class made up the majority of the visitors at that time. Being that it was so empty, I had no problem being emotionally invested at that place.

All in all, I enjoyed my visit to both sites. By enjoy I don’t mean I had a jolly good time. I enjoyed it in the sense that I was able to appreciate the location, and the people being remembered at both sites. Visiting both those sites, I felt overwhelmed by what had happened, both on U.S. soil, and on Vietnamese soil.

On 9/11/01 I was in first grade. I remember leaving the back exit of school and being rushed home with my father. The only other thing I can remember from that day is collecting pieces of burned paper and metal that traveled to my front yard from Ground Zero. I was living in a naïve child’s world. I didn’t understand anything until a few years later when I met people that lost loved ones in the crash.

When I went to visit the 9/11 Memorial last year with my senior class, we were each assigned the name of a victim to research so that we could all feel more personally connected to our surroundings. One by one, we all read several short lines for each victim that will forever be the legacy of those who perished in the brutal terrorist attack a few short years ago. The memorial’s vastness made me feel tiny and helpless in comparison. The rushing water drowned out my senses and all I could hear was static all around me. I remember feeling upset, confused, and overwhelmed.

Contrary to what I was expecting, I felt similar emotions when we visited the Vietnam Memorial last Thursday. Having no personal connection to Vietnam whatsoever, I thought all we would be seeing were some gruesome pictures and memorabilia from the war. I thought wrong.

At first, I didn’t even realize that I was in the memorial. I thought we were in a park and we had to find a pathway to get to the memorial. That’s when I noticed the big block wall that had hardly legible letters etched onto it. One by one, Viviane and I tried to read every letter on the wall. Some were sad, some were heartbreaking, some were gruesome, and some made me cringe. I rememeber feeling upset, confused, and overwhelmed, but for a whole different set of reasons than before.

I could hardly read most of the letters because they fell off of the wall and I got the sense that people didn’t care as much about what happened in Vietnam. Most people nowadays don’t personally connect to it, but I still believe that it should be viewed in a similar light to the 9/11 Memorial. After all, countless people died and in the end all that matters is that everyone and anyone who died for their country deserve to be remembered.

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.

To be totally honest, this has been my first time visiting both the Vietnam Memorial and the 9/11 Memorial. I was certainly moved. My feelings at both Memorials were similar in a sense but yet differed.

Visiting the Vietnam Memorial brought tears to my eyes. I felt a personal connection to those who died in war even though I couldn’t have known them. Although I was not born while the war was happening, I felt as if I understood their pain. The words written on the wall were extremely powerful. As I tried to slowly connect the words and create the sentences, I felt a shiver running down my spine. I knew at that moment that I was moved by the words, that the sensational words had power.

The first paragraph that caught my eye reads, “Dear Pete, Just a short note. Please don’t do anything foolish. Seriously Pete, please take care of yourself. Don’t be a hero. I don’t need a Medal of Honor winner. I need a son. Love, Mom.”

I stood in front of the wall, reading those words over and over. I wondered how old the boy was, was he drafted? I wondered what the mom meant when she said, “I don’t need a hero.” If her son is fighting in war, he is a hero! I wondered what Pete’s mother was feeling when she wrote this note. What was Pete’s original reaction? Here, I was able to take one letter and connect it to my life, as if I knew who Pete was. Creating these connections, made the war seem more personal to me. It made me question what could’ve happened if the war occurred in my time!

When I arrived at the 9/11 Memorial, I was stunned. The area was beautiful and comprised of a forest of trees and 2 square pools with the largest manmade waterfalls in the US flowing down their sides. These pools were built where the twin towers once stood. Surrounding the pools and inscribed in the bronze plates were the names of those victims lost in the 9/11 terrorist attack. Additionally, a rose was placed on top of the name of each victim who has a birthday that same day. This rose-placing made the memorial seem more personal to the victim’s family members.

The architecture itself really got to me. The fact that the pools were created in the footsteps of the actual twin towers made the visit extremely moving. It was as if this Memorial was sending a message that the twin towers will never be replaced and that those who died will not only be always remembered, but will be remembered in the same location that they died. The noisy water rushing down made me feel as if nothing else mattered at that moment. That it was just me standing silent and alone, commemorating all those innocent victims of the attack.

I remember 9/11 like it was yesterday. I was in the first grade, when I was rushed out of class, into my family car, and home to see the burning towers on every channel on TV. I’ve heard stories of people I knew who either died in the towers or were spared. Although you would assume that I felt more connected to the 9/11 Memorial, I can certainly say I was moved more by the Vietnam Memorial. Reading actual letters written by or to the victims of the Vietnam War left me heartbroken.