This weekend, the traveling Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall came to Thousand Oaks, California. In the past, I haven't paused on Independence Day to give thanks to the people who died so that I might be free, but this was the only chance I was going to get to see this, so I grabbed my camera and my son, Alex, and we headed-off for the graveyard.
Oh, did I forget to mention that the traveling wall was setup in a graveyard? It turned-out to be much better than I hoped. Seeing a list of tens of thousands of dead men and women might be a frightening experience. When we arrived they were reading names of local soldiers who were listed on the wall. Then they released some doves and the local Air Force band played patriotic music while the public was finally able to experience this tribute.
Some of you may not be familiar with this memorial. The "real" one is in Washington DC. It's set into the ground (a feature which, at first, drew criticism. Who ever heard of a monument set into the ground?) It is big, long and the walls point to other monuments. It's understated, but dramatically moving. I saw the wall when I was still serving in the Air Force and it had an effect on me. The black granite is engraved with thousands of names, in the order that they fell. To find someone, you must go to a booth where you can lookup soldiers by name and state. Even if no one from your family is listed on the wall it is a good thing to see because you are struck with the magnitude of the deaths. My big brother served in Vietnam, but thankfully, he made it home.
The traveling wall is one-half size, but still a couple of hundred feet long. It cannot be set into the ground or aligned like the one in DC because it has to be mobile. But it's still etched granite and people come to make rubbings of the names of loved ones. We saw one older couple weeping at the spot where their child's name was engraved. Another man appeared to be working his way down the wall from right to left (newest to oldest) reading every name. The memorial was being staffed 24-hours a day throughout the long weekend so I guess he would have time to finish that reverent task.
Why should you take your children (or those old enough) and make them see such a vivid reminder of death? I mean, we walked through gravestones to see this "wall." What's the point?
Respect.
I cried as I explained to my son that we owed these people a debt that can never be repaid. Americans have the right to disagree with their government and to protest against going to war. But these men and women were called upon to serve their nation. They did so with valor and courage. Each of them had dreams, lives, and loved ones. They had futures that were sacrificed for us without even knowing we exist or would exist. I struggle to be worthy of their sacrifice. And it's critical to the continued existence of our nation and our freedom that we not forget. This is a great country. Like no other this planet has ever seen. Worthy of patriots the likes of which served and continue to serve in her defense.
As we left, I asked Alex if he understood. He said he did although I think he is still too young and "immortal" to truly grasp the magnitude of dying for a concept like "freedom." Alex said he didn't really know what to expect when I told him where we were going, but it turned out better than he expected. It wasn't tragic by any means. In fact, I left feeling very good. Maybe we should think about this subject and these heroes on other days besides Memorial Day.