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calimary

(80,693 posts)
9. I never went to war and have always objected to them. I went there in the mid-80's
Mon May 28, 2012, 03:47 PM
May 2012

and walked the whole length of that monument. I started at one end, dry-eyed. By the time I reached the other end, I was nearly sobbing. You walk on a downward-sloping path, leading down below ground-level, til it's almost as though you're submerged - by these tall, slick stone panels carved with all these names. At either end, it starts with one line of names. Then, as you start the walk downward toward the center, there are two or three lines of names. And then more lines. And then more. And then STILL more lines of names. And it just keeps going til you're drowning in names - on slick stone panels that stand higher than your head. And by then you feel like you're drowning in your own tears. And then you start walking back up from the center, which is the lowest point, along the panels sloping upwards toward ground-level. By the end of the journey, you're emotionally spent, and you feel like it's a huge and incredibly profound life/war metaphor. You've climbed back up above ground-level (where the living dwell) from the below-ground-level monument (the realm of the dead), and you emerge into the light and to the day-to-day life that continues around you, fairly oblivious of everything else. And you carry with you the memories of being submerged with all those names. The names of the dead. You emerge, alright. But you emerge quite changed. Affected deeply by what you walked past, down there below-ground-level, and VERY sobered.

It's the heaviest, most profound, most viscerally powerful monument I've EVER seen. Especially close up. It compels you very quietly and in the most subtle fashion to experience the whole concept of war and loss - in a very personal way. It's utter genius on so many levels. Almost ridiculously simple. And more powerful and personally moving than ANY other monuments I've ever seen. Designed by a young woman, too. How 'bout that.

Looked like the wall touched him like it does most liberal N proud May 2012 #1
I went there 3 years ago SGMRTDARMY May 2012 #2
I never went to war and have always objected to them. I went there in the mid-80's calimary May 2012 #9
Very nicely said. tclambert May 2012 #11
Beautifully said. eom Frustratedlady May 2012 #12
+1,000,000,000 x 1,000,000,000 - n/t coalition_unwilling May 2012 #24
well said. Another thing that happens is the quiet that falls upon us as we walk the length of it Beaverhausen May 2012 #28
Wow. I went there. I cried. babylonsister May 2012 #36
Post removed Post removed May 2012 #30
Replying to troll here - I apologize in advance for it being out of place JonLP24 May 2012 #31
CNN poll says Romney is ahead of Obama with Veterans.. cheriemedium59 May 2012 #3
I just don't believe it SGMRTDARMY May 2012 #5
Don't believe it either. sarge43 May 2012 #7
Here'a a link Mutiny In Heaven May 2012 #17
Because while active they are bombarded with Limpballs Doctor_J May 2012 #20
Good fucking question, SGM... Aviation Pro May 2012 #26
Couldn't have said it better myself. SGMRTDARMY May 2012 #32
That hurts. It's a slap in the face to the Obama and Biden families who've made veterans and calimary May 2012 #10
Most of the veterans I know Rittermeister May 2012 #15
Edge of rural here, too. Ship of Fools May 2012 #25
VFW... GoCubsGo May 2012 #29
I would love to see a poll SGMRTDARMY May 2012 #33
I have very little respect for CNN as a news network Iliyah May 2012 #16
The group "Veterans" includes a lot of old, very right-wing people jeff47 May 2012 #18
He wants to increase miltary spending. Mz Pip May 2012 #19
Someone else raised the point that the demographics in that group tend to be older white men, NYC Liberal May 2012 #21
K&R Tarheel_Dem May 2012 #4
He was pretty blunt about how badly the returning vets were treated after the war. I recall AlinPA May 2012 #6
I remember being called some pretty awful names SGMRTDARMY May 2012 #8
Welcome home to you, Sir! Frustratedlady May 2012 #13
People back then just didn't understand, SGMRTDARMY. They just didn't get it. calimary May 2012 #14
Reading this I teared up. SGMRTDARMY May 2012 #35
grover norquist quote-of-the damned - featured in one of babylonsister's threads calimary May 2012 #37
That was especially meaningful, hearing the President say "Welcome Home" pinboy3niner May 2012 #34
I am going to have to watch this later on. NYC Liberal May 2012 #22
Here: Watch President Obama's Speech at the Vietnam War 50th Anniversary SunsetDreams May 2012 #23
K & R Scurrilous May 2012 #27
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