Monuments, Memorials, Museums- Oh My!

The Korean War Memorial

Hello readers! Even though it is late and I am absolutely exhausted, I had such an amazing day today that I couldn't wait to get back to my laptop to share my experiences with you all. As part of the "domestic" component to the TWC program, we went on a tour of a few of the national monuments. Even though I attended school in DC, and have seen the quintessential monuments, memorials, and museums too many times to count, today was totally different. Dr. Johnston, our academic coordinator, took us on a tour of the National Mall, which included stops at the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the Vietnam War Memorial. Going to see these sculptures, statues, and memorials again after spending some time away from them proved to be a spectacular experience, and even though I was fortune to go to school in DC for a year and a half, pretty soon the amazing things about our nation's capital became common place, and I failed to be effected in the same way. Today was a great chance to re-realize the beauty of these pieces.


The Korean War Memorial might be my favorite monument that we visited- it was absolutely haunting. The memorial depicted a squad of soldiers, represented by sculptures seven feet high, walking through the rice paddies in Korea. The soldiers were a mix of army soldiers, navy, and marines. The rice paddies were represented by juniper bushes that were underfoot, and there were long blocks of black granite underneath the soldiers feet as well, to represent the rivers and water that runs through the paddies. The soldiers were exceptional from afar, and breathtaking up close. They were all carefully constructed to show the fear and tension on their faces, as they look off in every single direction to simulate the care that a squad must take to detect enemy action. The monument also has a slow moving pool at one end of the simulated rice paddy, with engravings depicting the amount of Americans killed, wounded, and captured in the war. The wall behind the pool has a large engraving that says "Freedom is Not Free." The overall mood of the memorial was very somber, and it was incredibly moving. Especially being a young woman, it was amazing to me that the sculptures were so clearly young men, and all I could think about was the fact that people my own age were placed into such life-and-death situations, relying on their instinct and each other for survival. The memorial really made me take stock of myself, as well as reflect on the sacrifices made for thousands of young men my own age for this country. 

Lincoln sitting within 

The Lincoln Memorial

From the Korean War Memorial, we moved onto one of the most famous monuments on the National Mall, the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial a Grecian style monument, with Doric columns surrounding the temple which houses a larger than life sculpture of Abraham Lincoln seated in a chair and surrounded by his Gettysburg Address and Inaugural Address. Lincoln's gaze is in direct line down the length of the mall to the Washington Monument, and past that, the Capitol. The Lincoln Memorial was home to many noteworthy events that have become as famous as the memorial itself, such as Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech. The memorial symbolizes freedom, opportunity, and the value of human worth, all values which have played an enormous part in the history of our country. While we were visiting the memorial, there was a high school band that must have had a showcase for the day, and they contributed a soundtrack of classical, quintessential, patriotic American ballads that almost gave the effect of being in a movie as we toured this memorial that has meant so much to so many throughout the formative years in this country's history.  One interesting observation that has been made about the memorial is the positioning of Lincoln's hands as he sits high above the crowds. It has been suggested that the sculptor of the great statue deliberately crafted Lincoln's hands to eternally hold the sign language symbols for "A" and "L," because Lincoln chartered the nation's first university for deaf students, and the sculptor's son attended the school. This intimate, personal layer of meaning to the great memorial contributes a personal feel to a monument that is so large, it could easily feel cold. 

A length of the wall, which looks
towards the Washington Monument.
When we visited, there were roses,
prayer cards, and commemorative
wreaths placed along the length
of the wall by family members and
friends, near the names of their
loved ones who were lost.

We also visited the Vietnam War Memorial on our tour, which is the memorial that I had the most knowledge of. Made out of polished black granite and highly controversial, it sits carved into the ground and is engraved with the name of each soldier that was killed in the Vietnam war. The total is staggering- 58,000 lives were lost and were subsequently memorialized in the wall. The wall is one of three memorials to the individuals who served in the war, but it is my personal favorite. The architect, Maya Lin, was an undergraduate at Yale University, and her design was selected when a call for ideas was sent out throughout the country. She originally created this design as part of a school project, and it was eventually selected by the committee of architects that spearheaded the creation of the memorial. While some think that the wall looks like an ugly scar carved into the ground, and doesn't pay proper tribute to the thousands of men and women that lost their lives in the longest war in American history, I think that the feelings of reverence, reflection, and solidarity that surround the wall are appropriate. All the names engraved on the wall are done so uniformly, without rank included. This has the effect of highlighting the fact that each soldier lost was, at his or her most basic level, a human being. Stripped of titles and ranks, the wall highlights the breathtaking amount of human lives taken during this time in our nation's history. The wall also holds special meaning for me, as my father was of age to be included in the draft. Luckily, he failed the physical exam and was not deployed, but as I walked along the length of the wall and saw my reflection along with the names of all those that perished, I couldn't help but feel blessed, and wonder how many future fathers or husbands were lost, how many sons, brothers, boyfriends and friends were taken from us as a result of the war.

The WWII Memorial

One of our stops on the day's tour was at the World War II Memorial, which, when compared with the other memorials located in Constitution Park, is vastly different. Triumphal and majestic, the WWII memorial was commissioned in 2004, in a time where not many veterans of the war were still alive. The memorial was created to recognize the two theaters of WWII- the Atlantic and Pacific. Around a large pool of water fed by fountains, stand individual columns representative of all the states and territories in the US during the time of the war. The feelings evoked by the monument are ones of triumph and glory, of the conquering of good over evil. Along with the sheer size of the monument, this feeling of exaltation is evoked by quotations found throughout the memorial. They were my favorite part- as an English major, I definitely have an affinity for good quotations, as I believe they can can capture a sentiment or feeling powerfully and specifically. They definitely spoke to me more than other parts of the memorial, and were my favorite specific part of any given memorial that we went to see. An interesting discussion arose within my group as one of my friends KK pointed out that the moments reflect our country's attitudes toward the wars. While the national perception of both Korea and Vietnam are sobering, we see World War II as a glorious victory, and the construction of each individual monument reflect those opinions and feelings. Each war was different in its historical, political, and personal context, and it would be foolish and oversimplified to create every monument the same and not pay tribute to the way in which each war was seen in hindsight.

Our country's international conflicts and confrontations speak volumes about the individual citizens who risked their lives to protect our values. Next week, we are touring the Capitol, Supreme Court, and ending our time in DC with a tour of the British Embassy. Our monument walk served as a basis and reminder of the value placed on the freedoms and liberties found within this country, and similar feelings that extend to the international community. Millions of American have died to reinforce, protect, and instill these rights and values in people around the world, and it is necessary to revisit these monuments to remind ourselves that freedom is not free.