April 7, 2013. Paddy and I revisited this memorial dedicated to our Vietnam Veterans. Adjacent to the parking lot was a monument erected by the NJ Order of the Purple Heart.
It was Sunday and the Vietnam Era Museum was closed. (Paddy and I revisited the museum 6 days later and the photos are at the bottom of this webpage).
Following the paved path toward the memorial, we passed the United States War Dogs Memorial. Around the statue were engraved pavers dedicated to both War Dogs and dog handlers.
Continuing along the path, we passed more engraved pavers dedicated to individual soldiers as well as veterans' organizations.
Passing through a tunnel to the memorial, we passed a touch screen that provided information about the 1561 New Jersey men and 1 woman who gave their lives for our country.
At the center of the memorial were three bronze statutes: A wounded soldier, a female applying a large bandage to a chest wound and a comrade who was there in support of his brother.
An overview of the memorial can be seen in this photo. At the center were the three statutes. Up the many stairways was a black wall of veterans' names and in the distance were flags near the museum.
Running 360 degrees around the upper level of the memorial were names of New Jersey veterans who were killed in the Vietnam War.
We met another veteran and his wife. Paddy and I exchanged some of our military history.
Heading back to our car we passed the Crawford-Bowne Family Cemetery which was established in 1833. It is this land that now serves the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial.
Up the hill toward the museum we passed many flags of the various military services, the US flag and the POW-MIA flag.
THE VIETNAM ERA MUSEUM
April 13, 2013. As we promised ourselves, we revisited the memorial museum. Inside the entrance were the traditional flags and an information desk.
The museum had a huge amount of history and memorabilia to tell the Vietnam story.
Status of United States and Vietnam after World War II.
Starting in 1960 the number of American Military Personnel in Vietnam went quickly from a start of 900 to 16,000.
With the staggering number of US soldiers killed in Vietnam, anti-war protests grew large. Despite the Johnson administration's edict that the US was winning the war, Walter Cronkite paid a visit and declared the the war was a "stalemate". Public opinion was now clearly against the administration.
The Tet offensive was key to President Johnson's declaration to not run for another term of office.
The antiwar protests and the Kent State killings made it clear that the U.S. population was going negative on supporting the war.
While President Nixon promised to end the war in Vietnam, he didn't do it that quickly. Eventually it did wind down.
In addition to the vast amount of photos and documentation, the museum also had a theater, that showed periodic movies of the Vietnam history.
There were also many paintings and sculpture to tell the story.
The museum is rich with history, photos, memorabilia, videos and letters depicting how soldiers felt in Vietnam. The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial is a very worthwhile place to visit and pay respect to those who gave there all for our country.
INSTALLATION OF THE 1964 HUEY HELICOPTER
At the base of the memorial are pavers dedicated to Vietnam Veterans and their families.
AN AMAZING ALL-STATES LOOKUP SITE !
The Virtual Wall is the name of the web site shown below. The Virtual Wall has memorial pages honoring the 58,300 women and men who are named on "The Wall", the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, USA; those military persons who gave the "ultimate sacrifice" for their country. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington was built from private donations collected by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. The Wall was dedicated in 1982, and completed in 1984 with the addition of the "Three Servicemen Statue." Since its completion, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington has belonged to the people of the United States of America and has been maintained by the U. S. National Park Service. The web site below is not affiliated with the US NPS.
First click on a state. When it opens,
scroll down to the city where you went to high school and look at the names.
Click on
the name and it will give details of the person's death, a picture or at least
their bio and medals.
http://www.virtualwall.org/iStates.htm
THE ROLLING THUNDER MOTORCYCLE CLUB
Click HERE to see how the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club honors Vietnam Veterans
ANOTHER PIECE OF HISTORY THAT SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN
Jane Fonda. Today's young people don't know about her, but in 1972 Jane Fonda became a traitor to our country. She visited the enemy, she sang anti war songs behind enemy lines, she encouraged Viet Cong soldiers to fight "American Imperialists" and posed, smiling, on an enemy anti-aircraft gun. As a result she became known world wide as "Hanoi Jane".
There were many false stories about Jane Fonda, but this one written by a POW, after the airing of a TV program in 1999, was true:
Michael Benge letter excerpt, 1999: At one time, I was weighing approximately 90 lbs. (My normal weight is 170 lbs.). We were Jane Fonda’s "war criminals." When Jane Fonda was in Hanoi, I was asked by the camp communist political officer if I would be willing to meet with Jane Fonda. I said yes, for I would like to tell her about the real treatment we POWs were receiving, which was far different from the treatment purported by the North Vietnamese, and parroted by Jane Fonda, as "humane and lenient."
Because of this, I spent three days on a rocky floor on my knees with outstretched arms with a piece of steel rebar placed on my hands, and beaten with a bamboo cane every time my arms dipped. Jane Fonda had the audacity to say that the POWs were lying about our torture and treatment.
Now ABC is allowing Barbara Walters to honor Jane Fonda in her Feature "100 Years of Great Women." Shame, shame on Jane Fonda! Shame, shame on Barbara Walters! Shame, shame on 20-20. Shame, shame on ABC. And, shame, shame on the Disney Company.
NEVER FORGET!