Re‐membering Vietnam: War, Trauma, and “Scarring Over” After “The Wall”

Abstract

era of Vietnam War was one of most tumultuous in American history. It was a time that dismembered individuals, families, and much of government and society- physically, psychologically, and intellectually. process of addressing Vietnam War has been helped along by distance and time, which have allowed for historical analyses, but one of main catalysts for its reconciliation in American cultural history has been Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall. This article is an analysis of how a wall, something generally meant to separate, protect, or keep people in or out, has become a cultural phenomenon as an agent of healing. Vietnam Veterans generally referred to simply as The has helped to re-member, put back together, or re-engage individuals, families, and much of government and society through a process of remembering that has addressed physical, psychological, and intellectual trauma- quite an astonishing feat, since this was done primarily through a minimalist work of art designed by a college student. memorial consists of two black granite wings, each almost two hundred and fifty feet long, which meet at an obtuse angle that is submerged into landscape of National Mall, a green space between Lincoln and Washington Memorials, and in far back yard of White House, in Washington DC. Yet it is precisely nonrepresentational nature of Wall, rather than figural nationalism typical of memorials, that promotes interaction through names etched on its surface, reconciliation through items visitors are instigated to leave there, and healing because it brings subversive subject of Vietnam War into open. These characteristics have made Wall effective, and a standard by which subsequent memorials of or catastrophe are measured. When we remember Vietnam, whether itself or era that surrounds it, we bring up an uneasy past. controversy that was part of that history plagued Wall's development, particularly design itself, which was subjected to revisions and compromise. multitude of meanings inscribed in Wall reflect larger cultural issues as basic as right and wrong, good and bad, and as complicated as gender inequity, racism, constructions of identity, masculinities, and cultural, social, and political memory. A number of writers have discussed Wall as a reflection of past and present society. In her essay, The Wall, Screen and Image: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Marita Sturken suggests that the black walls of memorial act as screens for innumerable projections memory and history - of United States' participation in Vietnam War and experience of Vietnam veterans since war (163). Unlike previous wars, many of which ended with parades or some type of respectful display for those who had served, Vietnam was a travesty. Many people protested war, and many men who were drafted went reluctantly or ran away, becoming known as draft dodgers. In addition, unlike earlier accounts of war, such as newsreels that gave updates during World War II, episodes from Vietnam were shown frequently on nightly news and in newspapers. Those who fought in and those who objected to it were often vilified while dragged on with no positive outcome. Veterans who returned to United States often had psychological problems brought on by anxiety that was part of jungle warfare. Others contracted diseases related to jungle or chemicals used to aid fighting. Many veterans were treated with hostility and returned to shouts of baby killer or murderer, and veterans were even spat upon. Veterans often submitted to a kind of internal forgetting, or denial, in which they disassociated themselves from Vietnam by becoming model citizens so as not to be identified with or stereotypes that portrayed Vietnam veterans as social outcasts. …