National War Memorials

Beginning with the Lincoln Memorial, Tomi and I visited the war memorials on the National Mall. The inscription in the photo above (part of the Korean War Memorial) sums up their messages.

Even though the monuments are stone and bronze, they call up in my mind--as they are intended to--pictures of the human beings who served in these too-many wars and the flesh and blood moments they all had in common. The Viet Nam Memorial in particular moves me, as it is the war of my generation. The wall carries the names of my contemporaries; my reflection on its black granite surface brings us together.

A ceremony--apparently in honor of the park service volunteers who serve at the monument--was just concluding as we approached, and photographers were focusing in on several men of a certain age in full dress uniforms. I wonder who they were.

I hadn't seen the Korean War Memorial close-up until today, although we saw it under wraps when we visited D.C. with the kids. I really like this one; the faces of the soldiers as they cross what is meant to simulate rugged terrain are at once alert and exhausted, determined and resigned. You get a clear sense of the hardship they faced.

In addition to the steel figures, the monument includes a black granite wall etched with faces of people of the times. I photographed this one because the faces reminded me of my parents.

I found the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial somewhat cold; not reflective of the passion of the man. To each his/her own taste. The best part of the monument, in my opinion, was the wall of quotations that inscribed a long curve behind the big statue. The grounds surrounding the monument would be lovely in spring, summer, and earlier in fall.

When I told him I would be visiting the Korean and WWII memorials, Pa said he liked the Korean memorial but found the WWII memorial "a bit much." I have to agree. While the Korean memorial has a clear theme and message, the WWII memorial has too many different elements and lacks focus. It was as if the memorial committee couldn't decide which proposal to use, and rather than omit anything, used them all. Gateways, plazas, pillars, dozens of inscriptions, a wall of bronze stars, fountains, waterfalls, bas reliefs, names of states and names of battles in both the Atlantic and Pacific. Its individual elements are beautiful, and the placement between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument is fitting, but the memorial could have benefited from some editing.

 

Reading Lincoln's second inaugural address

It was the Lincoln Memorial--unexpectedly, since I'd visited it more than once before--that really made me swell with patriotism. Maybe it was being there with Tomi; maybe because it was the day after the election. Maybe it was because that monument does what a really effective monument is meant to do: provide a sacred space to stand in the presence of a great moment in history and honor those who lived, fought, and died so you could be standing there.