Left at the Wall: Tokens of Remembrance at the Vietnam Memorial

As the foundation of the Vietnam Memorial was being poured in 1982, an unidentified Naval officer stepped over the construction barrier, threw his deceased brother's Purple Heart in to the wet cement, and saluted. So began the tradition of visitor's impromptu offerings to their fallen Vietnam veterans.

Over the years, thousands of letters and tokens were left. Have you ever wondered what happens to them? You're not alone. The FAQ section of the National Park Service's Vietnam Memorial web site list only three question.
* How many names are on the wall? (58,249)
* What happens to items left at the wall?
* Is the item archive open to the public?

Each night, rangers tag each item, record near which panel it was left, and ship the items to a climate-controlled archive. Food and flowers are not saved. The archive is not open to the public, but a selection of items are on display at the Museum of American History.

What items do people leave?
Letters are the most common. The Park Service preserves each as they find it. Sealed envelopes remain sealed. Service ribbons are found wedged in the cracks or loving laid at the base of the panels. Teddy bears, photos, and U.S. flags are collected in abundance. Some are simple offerings. Others are elaborate memorials in their own right. Muddy combat boots arranged as a flag stand topped with a fatigue cap add a moving, personal dimension to the memorial.

Some items have obvious meaning. Many POW/MIA bracelets have been recovered. The Vietnam Memorial provides the healing end to the circle of pain. Other offerings are cryptic symbols. A pack of cigarettes, a stick of gum, or a shell casing hold some understood symbolism only a family member or lost comrade understands.

Where is the Vietnam Memorial?
The Vietnam Memorial is on the north side of the National Mall in downtown Washington D.C. It is situated close to the Lincoln Memorial beside the Reflecting Pool.

The Vietnam Memorial is one of the most unusual in Washington D.C. Most monuments are set high on hills or raised on rows of steps to project a sense of grandeur. When you visit the Vietnam Memorial, you descend a slope cut into a low hill. From the air, the Vietnam Memorial looks like a scar, a chevron-shaped cut into the earth extending into the psyche of a nation.

There are no boisterous school groups at the Vietnam Memorial, no guided tour groups. A strange quiet reigns over the cold, black granite panels. Those who enter don an air of respectful silence. It is a silence broken only by whispers and tears. Even those who have no direct connection to a name on the wall are often moved to tears by the simplicity of a carved name and the warn photo of a child that never knew her father.

Why is there a Vietnam Memorial?
The Vietnam War was the most controversial war in U.S. history. It was a conflict in which the U.S. won every battle and still lost the war. It was a war where veterans returned not to bands and parades, but boos and jeers. Why would a nation build a monument to such a thing? The answer lies in the heart of a nation which respects the individual. Each individual name on the wall represents the spirit of the individual and what they can do when giving to the common good.

The Vietnam Memorial is
For those who have seen the horrors of war,
For those who have left kin and country behind,
For those who raised their neighbor's freedom above their own concerns,
For those who were left to wait,
For those who received the telegram,
For those who have to heal,
For those who have their freedoms,
Because of what our sons and fathers did.