why was the vietnam war memorial so controversial? why was the vietnam war memorial so controversial?

4 (Summer 1996): 685. Cupp attended many of their meetings on Capitol Hill as they drummed up support. Veterans needed this, and so did the nation. Each contestant sealed his or her name in an envelope and taped it to the back of the submission. Timing is everything, and enough time had passed. A different feeling prevailed among many within the U.S. government. Maya Lin, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 198182. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. But the memorial might not exist in the form we see today if it weren't for the support of architects who defended the young architect's controversial design. The Vietnam War was a divisive and politically polemic war. Photo by William Bill Lecky. Oooo, not any more, not any more. (An American medic treated him during World War II, probably saving his life.) These meanings serve as unifying forces, reinforcing the idea of a shared national identity and healing rifts in the communal experience of nationhood. But the meeting gave Scruggs his first ally: former Air Force intelligence officer and attorney Robert Doubek, who thought a memorial was a good idea. Associated Press correspondent Malcolm Mal Browne photographed him sitting quietly in the lotus position as the flames consumed him. Experience the evolution of the Vietnam Wall controversy by reading through a chronological list of documents divided into five rounds: Vietnam veteran Jan Scruggs initiates a hard-fought battle to build a Vietnam War Memorial, finally convincing Congress to appropriate land for a memorial that would be built with public funds. After the dedication, Scruggs and Wheeler walked together along the upper side of the Memorial ground, near Constitution Avenue. Free of overt historical reference to either the Egyptian or Greco-Roman traditions of monument designthe main visual touchstones for American memorial-buildingLins design broke with these traditions through its use of black granite, polished to a reflective smoothness (instead of white limestone or marble); its horizontal orientation, submerged into the earth instead of rising vertically; and its lack of any figurative ornamentation or any embellishment at all, save for the chronological listing of names of soldiers killed in the course of the war, etched into the granites mirror-like surface. But instead of enthusiasm, he received skepticism. Scruggs . These mass-media fictions enabled the very real neglect of veterans by the institutions tasked with tending to their needs. On the second day, the jury examined the designs together, walking the many aisles and stopping at each of the 232 designs that had been flagged by one or more of the jurors, pausing to discuss each design that had been noted. Then, in October 1980, veteran and lawyer Tom Carhart, also a former supporter, testified before the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) against the design, saying that One needs no artistic education to see this design for what it is, a black trench that scars the Mall. It would have power for individual veterans, but collectively, they would have even greater power to show the enormity of the sacrifices that were made.. 9. Ms Lin arrived at a design solution to note those that were MIA with a symbol()that could be altered if the service member was found. Each submittal had to be hung at eye level for review by the jury. Cupp had experienced firsthand the pains caused by the war. ever and endured a raging national controversy over the avant-garde . In July 1959 Major Dale Buis and Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand were off duty when they were killed during an attack at Bien Hoa. No government funds would be necessary. And that message got through to me.. She greeted each visitor in a regal fashion, wearing a dressing gown, perfect makeup, and beautiful shoes that curled up at the toes. The Three Servicemen Statue Vietnam Women's Memorial And Vietnam For Woods, the growing coalition was a prime example of its not what you know, its who you know. These people, though a small group, were able to reach out to their networks and their extensive contacts to recruit the type of expertise and support required for such a mammoth initiative. Congress swiftly passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that removed most restrictions from the president in regards to Vietnam. That afternoon, the winning design was selected, said Spreiregen. On April 30, 1980, the Senate approved legislation authorizing the Memorial, followed by approval in the House on May 20, 1980. Memory Foundations (planned design for former site of World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, New York). Undoubtedly, news media played an important role in Americans saying, Enough. Indeed, Vo Nyugen Giap had always envisioned using media as one of his spear points for victory. They were either ignored or shouted at and called vicious names. A cadre was drawn from those who went north; they were trained, equipped and sent back to the south to aid in organizing and guiding the insurgency. and was so hurt by the controversy . For weeks, heated discussions took place around the topic of who should be part of the design jury. We do not memorialize bus accidents, which by nature are contextless, meaningless. This began a series of destabilizing changes in government leadership. But how and where could all of the submissions be displayed? In the fall of 1980, VVMF announced the national design competition open to any U.S. citizen, who was over 18 years old. Critics of Lins design proposed that a second work be included on the memorial site, as a solution to the problem of the original memorial design: a figurative bronze statue by Frederick Hart of three soldiers in uniform, which had placed third in the initial competition. Our country needed something symbolic to help heal our wounds.. On August 2, two North Vietnamese torpedo boats in broad daylight engaged USS Maddox, which was gathering communications intelligence in the Gulf of Tonkin. Scruggs and Doubek began having regular meetings with John P. Wheeler, a graduate of West Point and Harvard Business School. . The peasants resented being forced from their ancestral lands, and consolidating them gave the VC better targets. With the site approved, VVMF scrambled to address the issues of what the Memorial would look like and who would design it. Frustrated, Nixon ordered the big bombersB-52sto strike Hanoi, beginning December 16 (Operation LINEBACKER). Gulf of Tonkin Resolution - Definition, Cause & Significance - HISTORY North Vietnamese officers, after the war, said the only thing they feared was an American-led invasion of the north, but the U.S. was not going to risk starting World War III, and at the time that seemed to loom as a distinct possibility. 1 (Spring 1987): 10. Lin moved to Washington and immediately became part of an internal struggle for control of the design. 3. Vietnam veterans memorial controversy. Vietnam War Memorial Sturken, 320. The jury included: architects Pietro Belluschi and Harry Weese; landscape architects Hideo Sasaki and Garrett Eckbo; sculptors Costantino Nivola, Richard Hunt, and James Rosati; and Grady Clay, a journalist and editor of Landscape Architecture magazine. Im the News & Social Editor at HistoryNet and a World War II researcher with an unparalleled affinity for Sir Winston Churchill, Spitfires, and Michigan football. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. Daniel Libeskind. Inscribed on the black granite walls are the names of more than 58,000 men and women who gave their lives or remain missing. They complained about the walls being black. It was decided that VVMF would hold a design competition, open to any American citizen over 18 years of age. It set the tone for the ensuing cultural debates pitting the people against the elites, as found in Tom Wolfes criticism of Lins memorial design. My background was relatively modest, he said. monument, Washington, District of Columbia, United States. Ibid. Significant funding cuts to programs that had been instigated in the 1960s under Lyndon Johnsons Great Society domestic agenda followed, in addition to a major attack on union power. Perhaps thats an appropriate design for those who would spit on us still. . Tour Washington D.C.'s Arlington National Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknowns, and Vietnam Veterans Memorial, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Vietnam-Veterans-Memorial, How Stuff Works - History - Vietnam Veterans Memorial, National Park Service - Vietnam Veterans Memorial. As conservatives sought to consolidate their gains following Reagans election, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial controversy presented an opportunity for conservatives to harness both the affective power of the veterans fury and the resulting public outcry on their behalf. They were real guys. PDF Why was the Vietnam War so Controversial? - University of Wisconsin In 1993 the Vietnam Womens Memorial was unveiled a short distance from the wall. Never in the history of the United States had a national memorial been conceived, approved, built and dedicated in that short an amount of time. The effects of U.S. involvement, the impact of an individual's participation, political decisions and the politics of decision-making are still felt. The French suffered a major defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, leading to negotiations that ended with the Geneva Agreements, July 21, 1954. It was a direct result of the First Indochina War (1946-1954) between France, which claimed Vietnam as a colony, and the communist forces then known as Viet Minh. During President Dwight Eisenhowers administration (19531961), financial aid was given to pay South Vietnams military forces and American advisors were sent to help train them. Before he spoke, however, all eyes had turned toward the kitchen door, from which has emerged his then-wife, actress Elizabeth Taylor. An author, teacher, and lecturer, Spreiregen had written the authoritative book on design competitions. Why the Vietnam War Memorial is amazing - Military Times As they forged a partnership with Mathias and his staff, VVMF also set out to establish other key relationships. The more people you got to co-sponsor, the more people wanted to join.. They serve as testaments to lives lost, as repositories of grief, and to facilitate processes of mourning. He had spent three months recovering in a hospital before being sent back to fight with rocket-propelled grenade fragments permanently embedded in his body. Shortly after the dedication of the land for the memorial, the VVMF announced an open competition for designs for the memorial itself. He had been a war correspondent during World War II and had reported from Vietnam during Americas early involvement. We didnt have any space, but I liked their idea and told them I would volunteer to help with all that I could.. On April 30, their tanks entered Saigon. The walls are inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 men and women . But the war news was hopeful. Mai also remembers being annoyed when her playtime was interrupted by the air-raid sirens. It was one of the most resounding defeats in all of military historyuntil it became a victory. The design team and VVMF searched for a way for the names to be sandblasted rather than hand-carved. China conquered the northern part of modern Vietnam in 111 BC and retained control until 938 AD; it continued to exert some control over the Vietnamese until 1885. Following the Tet Offensive of 1968, the NVA had to assume the major combat role because the VC was decimated during the offensive. The Vietnam War was the longest in U.S. history until the Afghanistan War (20012021). The American Legion, VFW, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), AMVETS, and Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) made sure their members knew that veterans were going to be honored and welcomed that week on the National Mall. Guerrilla warfare (asymmetrical warfare) does not permit such clear-cut data. This lends a sense of personal intimacy in a public space which helps create a sense of connection to the memorial. Why was the Vietnam War Memorial so controversial? - 2023 When I was attending law school, Vietnam veterans were an anomaly among the young single professional set of Washington, so it was something you didnt mention. remembered Doubek. Scruggs, Wheeler, and Doubek then scouted the Mall sometimes by bicycle to identify the ideal spot: a stretch of parkland known as Constitution Gardens, located on the National Mall adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial. Marinesnear Van Truong, from the VC point of view. Another article in the same issue of the Post echoed Wolfes definition of the terms of the debate, commenting that: There is a discordance between the sophisticated wall and the unsophisticated statue. In fact, he would spend a lifetime trying to honor their memory. Furthermore, he explicitly framed his interpretation of the memorial in (perceived) opposition to an explicitly artistic perspective. The U.S. suffered over 47,000 killed in action, Kennedy himself was assassinated in Dallas, VC and NVA units launched a massive attack, CBS evening news anchor Walter Cronkite returned to Vietnam, https://www.historynet.com/the-vietnam-war-a-history-of-americas-controversial-war/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, When 21 Sikh Soldiers Fought the Odds Against 10,000 Pashtun Warriors, Few Red Tails Remain: Tuskegee Airman Dies at 96. Initially, however, homefront support for the war effort grew, but by March Americans, perceiving no change in strategy that would bring the war to a conclusion, became increasingly disillusioned. History of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund The National Review commented, The mode of listing the names makes them individual deaths, not deaths in a cause; they might as well have been traffic accidents. Similarly, the New Republic opined: It is an unfortunate choice of memorial. Such images pack tremendous emotional punch but often lack context. The Memorial had several purposes, he explained. Selecting a design that would meet the criteria demanded a jury that could grasp the significance of the Memorials purpose and understand the unique needs of Vietnam veterans, their families, and a country divided. This 21-Year-Old College Student Designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Washington, D.C. Aerial view. Vietnam has a long history of being ruled by foreign powers, and this led many Vietnamese to see the United States involvement in their country as neo-colonialism. A Controversial War Gets a Controversial Memorial - ThoughtCo That same month, Kennedy himself was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. How should we remember a war that we "lost"? Popular dark tourism attractions include Auschwitz, Chernobyl and Ground Zero. When the winning Vietnam Veterans Memorial design was dedicated on November 13, 1982, a storm of controversy followed. And if they were bitter, who could blame them? Soldiers wounded, another 72 . The timing and scale of the offensive caught ARVN, the U.S. and other SEATO troops by surprise, however. One of Mathias early key suggestions was that the memorial should be on the Mall, especially because the anti-war demonstrations had taken place there.