{"id":60905,"date":"2019-05-20T19:20:40","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T19:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:42:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:42:47","slug":"why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Vietnam War Memorial is amazing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On May 28, 1969, while bleeding to death in Vietnam, I was preparing to die at age 19 after saying the Lord\u2019s Prayer. Brave US troops, all draftees, found and dragged me to safety. I recovered and completed my tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">May 28, 1979, I rented a room at the National Press Club and boldly told the media in attendance that there would be a national memorial in Washington engraved with the names of the fallen honoring all who served in the recently completed Vietnam War. I had national credibility from my research on combat trauma at American University. The memorial would give them recognition and, perhaps, some healing for the entire nation. The success of the plan was unlikely, led by a naive GS 7 federal employee named Scruggs. Yet, the memorial was funded and built in record time for the November 1982 dedication.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2017\/05\/28\/to-many-americans-memorial-day-has-lost-its-meaning\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ap17147759609536.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">To many Americans, Memorial Day has lost its meaning<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Allison Jaslow heard it more than once as the long holiday weekend approached \u2014 a cheerful &quot;Happy Memorial Day!&quot; from oblivious well-wishers.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A dedicated team planned the project led by several grads of the West Point and the Harvard Business School. We held the largest design competition ever and endured a raging national controversy over the avant-garde design chosen, which has worked so masterfully since 1982, enjoyed by over 5,000,000 visitors annually. The designer was Maya Lin, then a 21-year-old student at Yale University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What is often called \u201cThe Wall\u201d also led to unanticipated outcomes, including the Korean War Memorial in 1993 and the World War II Memorial in 2004, on America\u2019s Mall. If imitation is the most sincere from of flattery, The Wall deserves awards. There are several 1\/2, 3\/4 and full scale replicas traveling the country since 1984.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pensacola, Florida, made a granite replica (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vietvet.org\/wallso.htm\" target=_blank>The Wall South<\/a>) a few years later near the naval base. Recently a full-scale granite replica was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mnvmfund.org\/\" target=_blank>dedicated in Missouri<\/a> by a Vietnam vet \u2014 desiring the healing that often emanates from the memorial \u2014 to be closer to the veterans in the western USA. The replica faces the sun at the same angle as in Washington. Other replicas come and go from veterans groups. One entrepreneur was selling 1\/2 and 3\/4 scale replicas in the neighborhood of $200 or more for interested people to have on their property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Wall is amazing. There is no anthropological or sociological precedent for a monument with such characteristics or replication. This would include the phenomena of probably a half-million items which have been left at the Wall, stored by the National Park Service. Some of these items have been displayed in the Smithsonian and the Imperial War Museum in London. And lets not forget Rolling Thunder, with its hundreds of thousands of motorcycle riders who ride to The Wall from was far away as Oregon. The Wall is like Mecca or the Western Wall in Jerusalem that compels the faithful to visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/15\/5-ways-to-support-families-of-the-fallen-on-memorial-day\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/34812846262_627263bc23_k.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">5 ways to support families of the fallen on Memorial Day<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">This Memorial Day is a great time to start anew and make it more meaningful for the tens of thousands of surviving military family members, this author says. Here&#039;s how.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The talking point for the memorial was to \u201cseparate the war from the warrior\u201d to honor the service of our citizens who gave their lives in the rice paddies of Vietnam. Victory was elusive, as is the case in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is fascinating to think that 75 years ago, on June 6, 1944, thousands of America paratroopers and infantry were on their way to the beaches and cliffs of Normandy, France, where many are now buried in cemeteries after laying down their lives. When I visited Normandy and places like Gettysburg I always remember the sobering, haunting words of World War I veteran, Archibald MacLeish, written during World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>\u201cThe Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Nevertheless they are heard in the still houses: who has not heard them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;They have a silence that speaks for them at night and when the clock counts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;They say, We were young. We have died. Remember us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;They say, Our deaths are not ours: they are yours: they will mean what you make them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They say, Whether our lives and our deaths were for peace and a new hope or for nothing we cannot say: it is you who must say this.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enjoy Memorial Day 2019, where we live in safety and freedom in the United States of America. Take a moment to think of the fallen who did their duty and who are in harm\u2019s way on this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Jan Scruggs is founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, was an infantryman in Vietnam, and was appointed chairman of the Selective Service System\u2019s National Appeals Board by President Obama in 2013.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jan_scruggs.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-68545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jan_scruggs.jpg.jpg 640w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jan_scruggs.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jan Scruggs (courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If imitation is the most sincere from of flattery, The Wall deserves awards, says this writer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":68542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":97,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"4":{"categories":["commentary","opinion","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"commentary"},"5":{"categories":["commentary","opinion","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"commentary"},"6":{"categories":["commentary","opinion","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"commentary"},"7":{"categories":["commentary","opinion","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"commentary"}}},"categories":[97,17],"tags":[],"coauthors":[698],"class_list":["post-60905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-opinion"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"R34SAVSYDNEAHEHOHHOFOFM6MI","arc_canonical_url":"\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why the Vietnam War Memorial is amazing - Military Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If imitation is the most sincere from of flattery, The Wall deserves awards, says this writer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why the Vietnam War Memorial is amazing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If imitation is the most sincere from of flattery, The Wall deserves awards, says this writer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Military Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-20T19:20:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T06:42:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jan Scruggs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jan Scruggs\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/20\\\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/20\\\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Why the Vietnam War Memorial is amazing\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-05-20T19:20:40+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T06:42:47+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/20\\\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 718,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/20\\\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1060755342.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Commentary\",\n\t                \"Opinion\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/20\\\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/20\\\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/20\\\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Why the Vietnam War Memorial is amazing - Military Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/20\\\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/20\\\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1060755342.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-05-20T19:20:40+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T06:42:47+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"If imitation is the most sincere from of flattery, The Wall deserves awards, says this writer.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/20\\\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/20\\\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/20\\\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1060755342.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1060755342.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/20\\\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Commentary\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/commentary\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"commentary\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Why the Vietnam War Memorial is amazing\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Military Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News About Your Military | Military Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Military Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/military-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/military-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Military Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why the Vietnam War Memorial is amazing - Military Times","description":"If imitation is the most sincere from of flattery, The Wall deserves awards, says this writer.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why the Vietnam War Memorial is amazing","og_description":"If imitation is the most sincere from of flattery, The Wall deserves awards, says this writer.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/","og_site_name":"Military Times","article_published_time":"2019-05-20T19:20:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T06:42:47+00:00","author":"Jan Scruggs","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jan Scruggs","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Why the Vietnam War Memorial is amazing","datePublished":"2019-05-20T19:20:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T06:42:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/"},"wordCount":718,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1060755342.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Commentary","Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/","name":"Why the Vietnam War Memorial is amazing - Military Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1060755342.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2019-05-20T19:20:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T06:42:47+00:00","description":"If imitation is the most sincere from of flattery, The Wall deserves awards, says this writer.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1060755342.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1060755342.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2019\/05\/20\/why-the-vietnam-war-memorial-is-amazing\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Commentary","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/","ad_zone":"commentary"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Why the Vietnam War Memorial is amazing"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/","name":"Military Times","description":"Independent News About Your Military | Military Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#organization","name":"Military Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/military-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/military-logo-white.png","caption":"Military Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Military Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1060755342.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60905"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149385,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60905\/revisions\/149385"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60905"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=60905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}