Wednesday at noon, learn more about an American Icon: the Memorial Wall, with its etchings of the names of more than 58,000 service members classified as killed or missing in action from the Vietnam War. Its design and construction initially shocked and upset many. But over the years, the Wall has become a sacred place, and influenced how we think about war.
Join KSUT for this Veteran's Day special, this Wednesday at noon, with an encore presentation Sunday afternoon at 5.
From the show description:
How do you build a monument to a war that was more tragic than triumphant? Maya Lin was practically a kid when she got the commission to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall.
“The veterans were asking me, ‘What do you think people are going to do when they first come here?’” she remembers. “And I wanted to say, ‘They’re going to cry.’"
Her minimalistic granite wall was derided by one vet as a “black gash of shame.” But inscribed with the name of every fallen soldier, it became a sacred place for veterans and their families, and it influenced later designs like the National September 11 Memorial.
We'll hear the story of the conflict and compromise behind the wall's early design; and the stories of the people who come to visit and the items they leave behind in remembrance.
Also, we'll visit a replica to the wall that travels to veterans’ parades around the country, and more on how the wall in Washington has influenced how we think about war.
Join KSUT for this Veteran's Day special, this Wednesday at noon, with an encore presentation Sunday afternoon at 5.
