Have you ever been to the Vietnam
Memorial or a memorial in general?
• What types of feelings or thoughts did seeing this
memorial bring about?
• What do you think memorials represent for people who
have served in our military?
• Keep these thoughts in mind while we go through this
activity.
Recap of Vietnam Memorial
Research
•Construction began on March 11, 1982.
•The wall was completed November 1, 1982.
•There are 3 parts to the memorial, however, the wall is
the actual memorial:
“The Wall”, “The Three Servicemen”, and
“The Flag Pole” (later added)
•Maya Ying Lin won a contest to have her design of The
Memorial created in honor of the people who have
served in our military.
Recap Continued…
• The names on “The Wall” are people who have died or
are still missing.
• As of right now, there are 58,260 names on the wall.
•
1,200 are people listed as MIA’s, POW’s, and others.
• “Each of the 2 walls is 246.75 feet long, composed of 70
separate inscribed granite panels, plus 4 at the end
without names; the panels themselves are 40 inches in
width.”
Recap Continued…
• “The largest panels have 137 lines of names while the
fewest have 5 names.”
• Diamonds next to the names mean that the person is
known to be dead, pluses mean that the person is
missing. The pluses will be turned into diamonds if we
receive the remains, and a circle will go around the plus
if the person comes back alive.
• There are no circles right now.
• “The Wall” is made our of black granite that creates a
mirror like surface when polished.
Vietnam Memorial
Vietnam Memorial
Yusef Komunyakaa
Yusef served a tour of duty in
the Vietnam War from 1965 to
1967 in South Vietnam.
He acted as an information
specialist and editor for the
military paper, The Southern
Cross.
Born 1947 in Louisiana
Writes about Vietnam War
His love for jazz & blues music
His childhood
He covered major actions,
interviewed fellow soldiers,
and published articles on
Vietnamese history and
literature.
This earned him a Bronze Star.
“Facing It”
My black face fades,
hiding inside the black granite.
I said I wouldn't,
dammit: No tears.
I'm stone. I'm flesh.
My clouded reflection eyes me
like a bird of prey, the profile of night
slanted against morning. I turn
this way--the stone lets me go.
I turn that way--I'm inside
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
again, depending on the light
to make a difference.
I go down the 58,022 names,
half-expecting to find
my own in letters like smoke.
I touch the name Andrew Johnson;
I see the booby trap's white flash.
Names shimmer on a woman's blouse
but when she walks away
the names stay on the wall.
Brushstrokes flash, a red bird's
wings cutting across my stare.
The sky. A plane in the sky.
A white vet's image floats
closer to me, then his pale eyes
look through mine. I'm a window.
He's lost his right arm
inside the stone. In the black mirror
a woman's trying to erase names:
No, she's brushing a boy's hair.
Listen to Yusef’s Poem
• http://www.starve.org/teaching/intro-poetry/facing-it.html
In-Class Assignment
• Pick a line in the poem to focus on that means the most
to you, that you relate to, or stands out
• Reflect on a time when you have “faced it” or overcome
something that you are proud of or even that you are still
facing
• Keeping that experience or reflection in mind, write a
poem that illustrates how you interpret that specific line
• Make sure to tie in the line from the poem to your
example either as the title or as a line in your poem
• Be ready to share
Resources
• Pictures
http://thewall-usa.com/gallery.asp
• Poem and Audio clip
http://www.starve.org/teaching/intro-poetry/facing-it.html
• Information
http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Yusef_Komunyakaa
http://www.ibiblio.org/ipa/poems/komunyakaa/biography.php
http://thewall-usa.com/information.asp
Interesting Fact
Andrew Johnson’s name is
truly on “The Wall” and he
served one year before be
died in combat.
Army - SP4 - E4
Age:19
Race: Negro
Sex: Male
Date of Birth May 24, 1948
From: BOGALUSA, LA
Religion:
Marital Status: Single
SP4 - E4 - Army - Regular
9th Infantry Division
Length of service 1 years
His tour began on Dec 1, 1966
Casualty was on Jun 25, 1967
In DINH TUONG, SOUTH VIETNAM
HOSTILE, GROUND CASUALTY
DROWNED, SUFFOCATED
Body was recovered
Panel 22E - Line 62