In memoriam, digitally speaking

I don't remember the first time I saw the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC but I do recall vividly the time I took Cecilia's mother to see it. She was born and raised in distant Chile, she had no connection to the Vietnam War other than what she watched on the evening news, or maybe having seen Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" twenty odd years before. She had no knowledge of the memorial, no expectations, no opinion. We reached the site and slowly started walking down the ramp by the shiny black wall full of names.
"They're the names of all the Americans who died in the wall", I commented. "It is the only black monument in an Empire City where all the symbols are white, it is an astonishingly simple gesture, a wound carved on the ground."
She didn't say anything as we walked down the ramp and the wall grew in size, taller than us, full of names. I felt what I always feel when I'm in front of the wall - that I am plunging slowly into death.
The shiny black wall was reflecting our own faces behind all the unknown names. "Look at us," I said. "We can see ourselves on the wall, it is also a mirror."
I looked at Cecilia's mother and realized how deeply moved she was. She had been touched by the wall, she was living proof of how powerful the monument is.
Her eyes were suddenly full of tears, she had stopped trying to resist the wave, the flood, the overwhelming eloquence of the silent black stone.
"So many dead", she sobbed. "So many dead".
"The wall is also a mirror, that death is a wave that I am in front of us until we saw the Yet on the ground, a if you see it from the yet so eloquenta wound carved on the ground. It is a long list of dein whitecity where all the monuments are white, it is the only monument to a defeat, it is oor Coming Homeand the war had ended

Flicker Clicker has contributed a photo to this story.

Rising - what I titled this image. I named it that because for me, finding this person's name was like bringing him back to life from the dead. I had a purpose that day. From a blank piece of paper to his name. As I rubbed the graphite pencil across the paper we were introduced without words and it felt odd. I had no clue who Vicente Quintan Rodriquez was just 30 minutes before my dad told to look him up and I found his name. As each letter appeared, it became more personal.

My dad had never spoken of this time in his life. I later found out Vicente is who at one time saved my dad's life. Guess I owe him my most humble thanks.

If not for this wall...many would never know any of them ever existed.

Rachel_N has contributed a photo to this story.

A beautiful Easter Sunday to be our nations capital and enjoying the National Mall and memorials

BIRDMA has contributed a photo to this story.

I visited Washington DC in March. My father was a Vietnam vet so I wanted to visit the Vietnam Memorial. It was early evening and I was fortunate enough to listen in while a Veteran gave a group of young people a tour and answered questions. Even after all this time, I could tell that his memories of Vietnam still haunted him.

billbarton1963 has contributed a photo to this story.

My two older daughters were visiting their aunt and uncle in Virginia, who took them to visit the memorial. They were both very impressed and touched by the experience.

maeliza has contributed a photo to this story.

Unfortunately, the download of this image does not look like th eoriginal that was requested by this site's creator. The original is a long, thin image of a section of the wall that was taken on Veteran's Day in 2002. It has a single rose placed at the bottom of the long, thin image. I happened to be visiting Washington (from the UK), with a group, and was unaware that it was Veteran's Day! We were stood taking in the enormity and meaning of the memorial and were suddenly surrounded by families, of my own age, placing cards, letters, flowers and pictures along the memorial. We talked with a few and it was a very emotional and poignant moment. I had been looking out for the piece that carries the names of the 'Gary Owens' of 'We Were Soldiers Once ...' fame (an outstanding and moving book if you haven't read it.

wawj has contributed a photo to this story.

Hi, I´m from La Rioja, in Spain. I made this photo during mi winter holidays last year. It was like a shock to view all the names of the soldiers. I was really impressed about that.

villarejo77 has contributed a photo to this story.

Took this shot during a training trip to Washington from Australia in November 2006. The first day we were taken on a tour, but it was heavy rain. Hired a car and returned a week later. It really has an effect on your senses.

krugerprings has contributed a photo to this story.

A vast ocean of names, of human beings, who (politics notwithstanding) died for their country. I learned from talking to some of the visitors that the names of the soldiers are listed in a "timeline" manner. As you walk from left to right, the quantity of fallen soldier begins to increase exponentially. Digitally archiving the names for posterity is a great concept and essential in todays digital age.

ed_fast1 has contributed a photo to this story.

good stuff:

ryan, I like this story. It's good stuff.

This was my first time in D.C., and I was only there for two days. Walking around the wall, I was touched by the number of recently-placed tokens of remembrance.

deltaclipr has contributed a photo to this story.