How do you build a monument to a war that was more tragic than triumphant? Hear a special documentary on the Vietnam Wall, its design, and how it's become a sacred place for veterans and their families. This Sunday afternoon at 5.
Maya Lin was practically a kid when she got the commission to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall.
Her minimalist granite wall was derided by one vet as a “black gash of shame.” But the inscriptions on the wall of the names of more than 58,000 fallen soldiers had an impact, and it soon became a sacred place for veterans and their families.
Hear the stories of the people who come to visit the wall, and the items they leave behind in remembrance.
And, explore how the wall has influenced how we think about war.
Hear The Memorial Wall, an American Icon, this Sunday afternoon at 5 on the KSUT Sunday Special. The program is an encore presentation. We also aired it on Veteran's Day.