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Vietnam Memorial and Political Iconography
In the document, "The Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Washington Mall: Philosophical Thoughts on Political Iconography," Charles L. Griswold discusses the effects of he Vietnam Veterans Memorial (VVM) on those visiting the site and reading the names and inscriptions on the fairly simple construction. An introduction to the issue of monuments and what they stand for is followed by three sections. The first section addresses the Washington Mall in general terms, focusing on the layout of the Mall and monuments. The second section progresses to a more specific description of selected monuments in terms of the VVM. The relation of the VVM to the two monuments to which it points - the Washington and Lincoln Memorials is also discussed in greater depth. Finally, the third section is an in-depth discussion of the VVM, its effects, and the various meanings attached to it as a memorial.
The reference to meaning and heritage connected with monuments is the central element of the article, and also serves as a cohesive device. This connects with the physical layout of the Mall, which appears to connect each monument in relation to all the other monuments. This is the premise that Griswold uses for his third section, where he connects his discussion of the VVM with the preceding sections. In this way, the article in many ways resembles the relationship between the different monuments in the Mall.
The article concludes by addressing the unique effect of the VVM upon visitors, and its concomitant meaning for the American people. Like the other monuments, it serves both as a reminder and an educational tool. In addition, there is a third, unique element: the interrogative quality of the monument, which also holds a warning. The monument, in inspiring a therapeutic patriotism, also interrogates the visitor in terms of the meaning of war. It asks whether the sacrifice was truly worth it, and whether it would be necessary again. The article concludes with references to the patriotism and therapy connected with the monument.
Vietnam War Where the Domino Fell: America and Vietnam 1945-1995 In Where the Domino Fell: America and Vietnam 1945-1995, James S. Olson and Randy Roberts provide a compact history of the war and its resulting aftermath. The authors work to explain one of the most important and difficult issues in war history - the U.S. And its involvement in the Vietnam War. Throughout the years since the war ended, people have said
Vietnam -- Rules of Engagement There are many reasons given for the fact that the United States lost the war in Vietnam, and that America was basically pushed out of the country by the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army even though the U.S. had far more firepower. Among the more credible reasons America lost the war was the failure on the part of the political leaders back in Washington
To that end, the northern Vietnamese forces and the Viet Cong in the south were looking to actually unify with the southern portion of this country -- which is evinced by the fact that shortly after the end of the war Vietnam was indeed united once again. Although this conception of the significance of the war is primarily political in nature, U.S. military forces could have used a more
South Vietnam, it believed, could be a base for the desired ability to mount military and economic operations throughout the globe and regardless of the insidious presence of communist influence, a premise which stood in direct contrast to Ho Chi Minh's dream. Indeed, as an official policy, leaders in Washington considered that the fall of South Vietnam to communism would be a pathway to the prevalence of communism in other
S. mission in Vietnam. Whenever he had the chance, he restated the nation's moral commitment. His morally-grounded idealistic rhetoric gained him definite advantages. His arguments made him sound tough and pleased those with an equally hard-line position against communism in Southeast Asia. He could also use these arguments to justify and support his policies, such as when Congress threatened to reduce foreign aid. He insisted that foreign aid was an
Minorities tended to live in more impoverished and less urban areas. The Hoa and ethnic Chinese were the exception to the rule however, typically living in more urban areas, and isolated from mainstream Vietnamese culture for some time. However, despite these seemingly unsolvable problems, there is ample evidence suggesting the government has continuously worked to help end discrimination and support a unified front. In recent years policies have been developed