Virtual Wall Of Honor
Hello e-Friends.
Hope you are enjoying the heat of summer. It has been sooooo HOT lately. I live in the South and we are experiencing a heat wave. Not exactly atypical but I always forget just how hot it gets.
*Sigh*. Well, on these lazy summer afternoons, I find myself sitting in a hammock, looking at fashion magazines – what’s up with these modern interpretations of “Old World Glamour” this season? LOL
I also find myself wandering down all sorts of patriotic avenues of thought.
Today, I was really focused on the idea of honor. What does it mean to honor? And how do we do it? And why is this word so intertwined with patriotism across the globe? We honor our flag, Old Glory. We honor our parents and family. But there is a special kind of honor reserved for those who serve our country. And that is the shade of meaning I am most focused on in this sweltering afternoon heat.
So let’s start with the basics – the definition. Honor can be used as both a noun and a verb. To understand the verb, we must first understand the noun:
Honor (noun, primary definition) -honesty, fairness, or integrity in one’s beliefs and actions
(verb, primary definition) - to hold in high honor or respect.
IMO, the reason we honor our war heroes is because there is no greater way to show your integrity than by serving your country.
Every year, in the month of May, we offer tribute to those who have died in service to our country with Memorial Day. But this is only one day, and because our citizens love the great melting pot that is the United States, they have sacrificed so much since the country’s inception. Sometimes, one day is just not enough.
One of the greatest extensions of paying tribute to our veterans IMO is the Vietnam Memorial. This beautiful piece of art, this great monument to our servicemen and women, was completed in 1982. But like so many great things, its development took some time. There is lots of history (and controversy) surrounding this monument, but I am choosing to focus on its initial development and christening. Because, as my grandfather always says, “The squabbles along the way aren’t what defines something. It’s the end result.”
And as always, thanks to my beloved wikipedia.com for providing a wealth of information.
- 1979 – The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. was created to establish a memorial to veterans of the Vietnam War.
- 1980 – Congress authorizes three acres near the Lincoln Memorial to be used as a site for the memorial.
- 1980 – 2,573 register for design competition with a prize of $50,000.
- 1981 – 1,421 designs for the memorial are submitted! to 232, finally 39. The jury selected Entry Number 1026.
- 1981 – a jury of eight architects and sculptors selecte a design by Maya Ying Lin, a 21 year old Yale University architecture student.
- 1982 – The Three Soldiers was added to the design as a result of controversy over Lin’s design.
- 1982 – The design was formally approved & ground was finally broken.
- November 1982 – The memorial is dedicated following a march to its site by thousands of Vietnam War veterans. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places the same day.
So e-Friends, if you have a chance to see it, you should. It’s the best kind of art – art that honors (IMHO).
If you love tributes, check out this super-fabuloso “Virtual Wall of Honor” from my friends at Carrot-Top Industries.
Art? Yes, virtually…..
Until next time e-Friends,
Lexi
