His successor, Lyndon Baines Johnson, inherited the Vietnam situation. Following its dedication, Lins memorial quickly became the prototype for American war memorials. He organized the advisors and volunteers into task groups: public relations, financial management, fund raising, legislation, site selection, and design/construction. First Inaugural Address (January 20, 1981), Ronald Wilson Reagan, Miller Center For Public Affairs, University of Virginia, accessed April 21, 2011, https://millercenter.org/scripps/archive/speeches/detail/3407. The wall is the centerpiece of the memorial and is made up of two black granite walls, each 246 feet in length and 10 feet in height. Private Funding No government funds were used to build the memorial, only public land. 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. There were so many people helping to get the legislation [passed], remembered Healy. 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. Throughout the judging process, one of the judges, Grady Clay, had taken meticulous notes of the jurys discussions. Lin and VVMF eventually selectedthe Cooper-Lecky Partnership as the architect-of-record, with Lin as the projects design consultant. The following week, Kurt Anderson recapped the festivities for TIME magazine: Saturdays three-hour parade down Constitution Avenue, led by [Gen. William] Westmoreland, was the vets own show. In December Doubek became the Executive Director, working on a half-time basis for the first few months, and opened the VVMF office on January 2, 1980. I think I even spilled my coffee. But, her presence made a difference. Black is not a color of shame. Usually it refers to the period when the United States and other members of the SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) joined the forces with the Republic of South Vietnam to contest communist forces, comprised of South Vietnamese guerrillas and regular-force units, generally known as Viet Cong (VC), and . Others: 80,000 plus, 200,000400,000 civilians On that January day, There was a big explosion, Scruggs recalled. On March 5, 1975, the NVA invaded again. 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. The public wanted to have a hand in helping to build the Memorial and in honoring the warrior, not the war. I heard that those present agreed to double their contributions after Taylor completed her remarks, Scruggs said. In a February 27, 1968, broadcast he summed up what he had found during his return trip to the war zone. The VC were often supplemented by units of the Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN), more often called simply the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) by those fighting against it. 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. . Seven more such immolations occurred that year. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. Two nights later, Maddox and the destroyer USS Turner Joy were on patrol in the Gulf and reported they were under attack. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall was dedicated in 1982. It was like a Woodstock atmosphere in Washington for those who had served in Vietnam, recalled Scruggs. Im sure I looked like a deer in the headlights, I was so nervous, Scruggs recalled. American intelligence knew an attack was coming, though the Army had downplayed a New York Times report of large communist troop movements heading south. The war was extremely divisive in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and elsewhere. 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. When they returned home from serving their country, there was no national show of gratitude. Originally, Vietnam ended at the 17th parallel, but it gradually conquered all the area southward along the coastline of the South China Sea and west to Cambodia. Sturken, 320. After meeting with the VVMF officers and advisors, Warner volunteered to help the organization raise the seed money needed to launch the fund raising campaign. On August 2, two North Vietnamese torpedo boats in broad daylight engaged USS Maddox, which was gathering communications intelligence in the Gulf of Tonkin. American troops had won every major battle they fought, and General Nguyen Van Thieu had come to power in South Vietnam in September; he would remain in office until 1975, bringing a new measure of stability to the government, though he could not end its endemic corruption. Watt followed on March 11, 1982, by granting permission for the construction permits. More than 150,000 veterans, families, loved ones and friends made plans to attend. Here are four facts about the provocative memorial. With the seed money from several defense industry donors, especially Grumman Aerospace, VVMF launched its first large-scale direct mail campaign to reach out to the public. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. Support for the war eroded further. 4) It defied spatial perception. The memorial consists of three parts: the Three Servicemen Statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Rather, by honoring those who sacrificed, we hope to provide a symbol of national unity and reconciliation.1. Thirty years later, it is difficult to think of her memorial as a controversial work of art. In the end, the quarry in India was selected. The VVMF organizers soon learned that it required an Act of Congress to build a memorial on Federal land, and Scruggs first called one of the senators for his home state of Maryland. It was decided that VVMF would hold a design competition, open to any American citizen over 18 years of age. The VC was effectively finished; it would not field more than 25,00040,000 troops at any time for the remainder of the war. The series of events began on Wednesday, November 10, 1982, and culminated with a service at the National Cathedral on Sunday, November14. 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. Warner, who had served as Secretary of the Navy during the war, was himself a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. It consists of a black granite wall with the names of over 58,000 soldiers who were killed or went missing in action inscribed on it. Johnson wanted to focus on instituting Great Society programs at home, but Vietnam was a snake he did not dare let go of. 2. The reputation of the jurors was important to attract the best designers and to minimize second guessing by the Federal approval bodies. The first fundraising letter was signed by Bob Hope. 2) It applauded feminist efforts. . Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. On one side were the proponents of Lins memorials, defined in the media and the public imagination as Wolfes elitist art mullahs, draft dodgers, the future New Leftists, and, of course, followers of Jane Fonda (infamously dubbed Hanoi Jane after a trip to North Vietnam, during which she made statements condemning the U.S. military). The greatest challenge VVMF faced, said Doubek, was to put together a functioning organization with people who didnt know one another, people who were very young and didnt have a lot of experience. A lingering question of the war is what might have happened if Eisenhower and Ho had arranged a meeting; possibly, an accord could have been reached, or possibly Ho was simply seeking to limit American involvement, in order to more easily depose the Diem government. 8. Michael Clark, Remembering Vietnam, Cultural Critique 3 (Spring 1986): 50. On February 7, 1965, the U.S. Air Force began bombing selected sites in North Vietnam. Reagans 1981 inaugural speech exemplified the political rhetoric used by his administration to promote his vision to the American public. Why was the Vietnam War Memorial so controversial? - 2023 4 Facts About Vietnam Veterans Memorial Controversial History (An American medic treated him during World War II, probably saving his life.) Scruggs took two weeks off from his job at the Department of Labor to develop the idea further. Though a congressional investigative committee the previous year had warned that America could find itself slipping into in a morass that would require more and more military participation in Vietnam, Johnson began a steady escalation of the war, hoping to bring it to a quick conclusion. . On the other hand, Congress had never declared war and so the president was limited in what he could do in Southeast Asia. By now, we are so accustomed to its visual rhetoricthe polished black granite, the lists of names, the horizontal positioningthat to think of these components as anything but standard practice takes an act of real imagination. Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington D.C. Like many veterans, Carhart read Lins design through the lens of his own experience: encountering an America that was at best indifferent and at worst outright hostile towards soldiers returning from Vietnam. In this sense, it was a complex ideological battle. The plan, however, was eventually scrapped, once the initial haggling over the racial identity of the firefighters gave way to accusations of political correctness on the part of the memorials planners.20. For this reason, in Vietnam today it is known as the American War. They were unwrapped, number coded, photographed for the record, and prepared for display. Reflecting Absence (planned design for memorial to victims of attacks on the World Trade Center, September 11, 2001). For the millions of people who visit each year, Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall sends a chilling message about war, heroism, and sacrifice. When the veterans began to return home they were greeted not with cheers and shouts of joy that soldiers met when they came home from WW2. The National Park Service archives most of the nonperishable items left at The Wall. In 1973 a "third" Vietnam war begana continuation, actuallybetween North and South Vietnam but without significant U.S. involvement. The senior staffers were against it. Each juror was required to read Fields of Fire, A Rumor of War, and other current literature about the Vietnam War. Hanoi offered to restart peace talks, yet remained intransigent in its demands. Their initial timeline was aggressive, with an ultimate goal of dedicating the Memorial on Veterans Day 1982just a little more than 36 months away. 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. From the beginning, people have left tributes at its base. Daniel Libeskind. Why was the memorial so controversial? Every 15 minutes, there was a pause for prayer. By the end of the first afternoon, one of the jurors, Harry Weese, returned to our impromptu conference lounge and told me, Paul, there are two designs out there that could do it.. The Vietnam Wall Controversy, Round 4, 1982, History on Trial, Lehigh University Digital Library, accessed April 21, 2011, https://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/trial/vietnam/r4/1982/. Everyone wanted to join the effort. Despite the fact that beyond certain superficial qualities, Lins memorial shared little in common with the work of classic Minimalist artists such as Richard Serra or Donald Judd, critics nonetheless conflated it with Serras equally controversial Tilted Arc, labeling it another example of an inscrutable Minimalist public artwork erected at taxpayers expense. It was surreal.. A flower is laid on the names of fallen troops on "The Wall" of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington on Nov. 12, 2018. . No American air strikes came to aid the overstretched South Vietnamese, despite Nixons earlier assurances to Thieu. Civilian deaths during that time period were estimated at 2 million, but the U.S. estimate of civilians killed in the north at 30,000. In addition to the accounts of its creation, sev- Timing is everything, and enough time had passed. The U.S. suffered over 47,000 killed in action plus another 11,000 non-combat deaths; over 150,000 were wounded and 10,000 missing. Buddhists, who comprised South Vietnams majority, claimed Diem, a Catholic, favored citizens of his religion in distributing aid. The NVA suffered some 120,000 casualties. And her design was nearly as controversial as the war it commemorated. But how and where could all of the submissions be displayed? Video: The Vietnam Wall Controversy - About - Overview - Lehigh University Maya Lins original competition submission for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. 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.. The two sections were not unlike North and South in the United States prior to the Civil War; their people did not fully trust each other. Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Wikipedia Lin became a design consultant to the architect of record. Bronze. As soon as ground was broken for The Wall in March 1982, planning for its dedication ceremonies began. And if they themselves didnt know how to help, they knew someone who did. They came from all parts of the country and represented every state. As the selection of the granite was narrowed down, Lin was keen on preserving the notion that the granite walls be reflective and thin to help express a critical aspectof the design that the memorial was a cut in the earth that had been polished. They treated the moms the same as they treated the vets. It would help veterans heal. Why was the Vietnam memorial so controversial? I was dumbfounded that we had succeeded at doing this. It ended with communist victory in April 1975. Eventually, a compromise was reached with the commissioning of a traditional statue depicting three servicemen with a flag to stand at the entrance to the memorial. Ultimately, one of the greatest challenges was how to get that many names on the wall panels in such a short period of time. 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. Over several tense weeks, more debate followed, until the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) gave their approval for a statue and flag in concept, pending suitable placement of those elements. 20. Architectural drawings and a one-page written summary, 1980 or 1981. [] Over the past two months, art mullahs of every description have begun a holy war against the addition of [Harts] statue.8. It distributed an instructional booklet communicating its vision to all who registered for the competition. Black walls, the universal color of shame and sorrow and degradation.. Sturken, 321. At 21 and still an undergraduate, Linconceived her design as creating a park within a park a quiet protected place unto itself, yet harmonious with the overall plan of Constitution Gardens. North Vietnam spent two years rebuilding its military; South Vietnam was hamstrung in its responses by a fear the U.S. Congress would cut off all aid if it took military action against communist buildup. Like all stereotypes, this one was unfair. 10. Consequently, by the time of the memorials design and construction, veterans had built up a significant amount of moral outrage and found their outlet in the controversy over the memorial. Some felt that the money to build a memorial could be better spent delivering the many services veterans needed. 1. We are all equal in combat. The design team and VVMF searched for a way for the names to be sandblasted rather than hand-carved. Because Warner was from Virginia and Mathias from Maryland, the two had worked together on many regional issues. Lower Manhattan must not be transformed into a vast mausoleum, obviously, but neither must it be transformed into a theme park for advanced architectural taste.15, Such rhetoric spilled over from the initial debates surrounding the redevelopment of the site of the Twin Towers to those regarding the design for the memorial. Like the war itself, this memorialization was highly controversial, but the site has become the most frequently visited memorial in Washington, D.C., drawing over 4 million visitors annually. Doubek approached Scruggs after the meeting and suggested that he form a nonprofit corporation as a vehicle to build a memorial. Confused times need simple forms., According to the description of the design concept: The jury chose a design which will stimulate thought rather than contain it.. Because the U.S. failed to achieve a military victory and the Republic of South Vietnam was ultimately taken over by North Vietnam, the Vietnam experience became known as the only war America ever lost. It remains a very controversial topic that continues to affect political and military decisions today. The Salute opened with a vigil Wednesday morning at the National Cathedral, where all of the nearly 58,000 names on The Wall were read by volunteers around the clock, day and night, through midnight Friday. Early on in the effort to get the Memorial built, there were traces of controversy. Under those agreements, Cambodia and Laoswhich had been part of the French colonyreceived their independence. The controversy over the planned 9/11 memorial at the former site of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, which began nearly a decade ago, harkened back to the debates of the early 1980s and heralds the current resurgence of cultural warfare. As a senior at Yale University, Lin entered a nationwide competition sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and her design was selected from the more than 1,400 submissions that were received. Corrections? The Selective Service System during the Vietnam war was highly controversial, especially because early in the war draftees came disproportionately from poor, working-class, rural, and minority populations. Joe Biden's slogan that it was time "to end the forever war" in Afghanistan was called imbecilic by former Prime Minister Tony Blair. 5/1981 - 3/1982. One needs no artistic education to see this design for what it is, a black trench that scars the Mall. They would include a big National Salute to Vietnam Veterans at Veterans Day. In 1993 the Vietnam Womens Memorial was unveiled a short distance from the wall. What they did need, however, was an acceptable location for the Memorial and enough support to push the idea through various governmental committees and agencies.