The Baalands: A Grateful Nation

Every nation honors its veterans and the wars in which they fought. The US is no different. There are many war memorials in Washington DC (and elsewhere). Many have been built in my lifetime. They are often controversial, as everyone seems to view history differently. The monuments themselves are often critiqued. New statues, monuments, and memorials continue to be erected (some taken down). Efforts to erect a National Civil War monument in Washington DC have met with resistance. I doubt it will happen as the Civil War era continues to be controversial, especially under the Tangerine Toddler.

Wall of names

One of the most controversial memorials, at least at the time of its inception, was the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial (a.k.a. the Vietnam Wall). It was dedicated in 1982, 7 years after the war officially ended. People did not like the design of the memorial. It wasn't gung-ho enough for them; they thought it was unpatriotic. They also didn't like the fact that the designer was a young Chinese-American woman. The minimalistic design of the Vietnam "Wall" is 246 feet long and composed of 72 shiny black granite panels. When it was first constructed it was inscribed with the names of 57,939 soldiers who died or were missing. Additional names have been added. Over time, the memorial has become highly respected (by most).

Another component of the Vietnam Memorial is the Three Servicemen (soldiers) monument. Two are purposefully identifiable as European American and African American, while the third is intended to represent all other ethnic groups in America. The three soldiers monument was seen as a compromise to the controversary surrounding the wall monument.

Three Servicemen Monument, c. 1984

The Vietnam Women's Memorial was dedicated in 1993. It was established to honor the 265,000 military and civilian women who served around the world during the Vietnam War. It is the nation’s first—and still its only—memorial to military women on the National Mall. It took 10 years for the monument to come to fruition, as there was a fight to have women recognized for their contributions. Misogyny with a capital M.

Vietnam Women's Memoria, c. 1993

Bronze sculpture by Glenna Goodacre

My favorite monument (not war) is the Korean War Veterans Memorial. My dad was a veteran of the Korean War era. He did not have to go to Korea. He served stateside. I'm not sure if he ever saw the memorial. It was dedicated in 1995. It includes 19 statues representing US military personnel in action. In 2022, a granite wall was added. The wall lists the names of 36,634 Americans, along with 7,174 South Koreans who died under U.S. command. It has been controversial due to its inscriptions. Many names have been omitted and misspelled.

Korean War soldier

The column

The statues of the Korean War Memorial represent a platoon on patrol, drawn from branches of the armed forces; fourteen of the figures are from the U.S. Army, three are from the Marine Corps, one is a Navy Corpsman, and one is an Air Force Forward Air Observer. They are dressed in full combat gear, dispersed among strips of granite and juniper bushes which represent the rugged terrain of Korea.

Larger than life

The World War II Memorial wasn't dedicated until 2004 (by George W. Bush). It is the largest of the memorials on the National Mall. It consists of 56 granite pillars, representing the US states and territories. There are two arches for the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. There is also a reflecting pool and Freedom Wall.

Dedicated May 29, 2004

Atlantic theater

Minnesota pillar

Pacific Arch

Memorial wreaths

D-Day quote

Reflecting Pool

The Freedom Wall is on the west side of the plaza, with a view of the Reflecting Pool and Lincoln Memorial behind it. The wall has 4,048 gold stars, each representing 100 Americans who died in the war. In front of the wall lies the message "Here we mark the price of freedom".