How Did Maya Lin Build The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Maya Lin stated that “I felt a memorial should be honest about the reality of war, and be for the people who gave their lives” (Lin Maya 1). Maya Lin, an undergraduate architect, designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for the support of veterans who fought in Vietnam. The 58,000 names on the memorial represent who served in the Vietnam War. The 21-year-old girl’s design caused many controversies towards the memorial. The memorial had a significant impact on Americans that changed some of their views about the veterans who sacrificed their lives. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was a significant event in America because it stood as a symbol of recognition and healing for those who fought in the war. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built as

The memorial are two black granite walls carved with the names of 58,000 servicemen. Before building the memorial, Maya Lin had to go through many actions to establish the memorial. At Yale in 1980, Maya Lin entered a Vietnam Veterans Memorial design competition. The guideline for the competition specify that the names of all American dead must be mentioned. As she entered the competition she did not have much knowledge about the Vietnam War. She entered the competition with the encouragement of her architect professor. By 1981, more than 1,421 entries were hung near Washington, D.C. By the fifth day of the competition, the jury selected the design by the twenty-year-old undergraduate Maya Lin. She received a 20,000 dollar award for winning the competition. The reactions of people were both disappointed and surprised. The walls were more than ten feet high, which form a shallow “V” shape and sank into the ground. Also, the names are listed chronologically in order in which the soldiers died from 1959 to 1975 (“ Lin Maya” 2). Lin viewed the design “like two hands opening to embrace people” (Linden 4). The shape of the wall was not meant to be a symbol of a protesters peace sign or a victory sign. It was meant to be a symbol of healing to those who fought in the war. As president Reagan stated: “It’s been said that these memorials reflect a hunger of healing”

An organization called Gold Star Mothers sent letters to congress to support the memorial. As wheeler, a Vietnam vet who volunteered to serve, stated that “There’s no more sacred part of a person than his name.” (Linden 3). The idea of building a memorial became a conflict. Some said that the memorial ignored the Americans who served and survived, and only honored the dead and missing. H. Ross Perot stated that the wall is “a black gash of shame” (Linden 5). Others say that the memorial is not heroic and lacked the word “Vietnam” (Linden 5). Some said that Lin is too young to understand the war, and many were upset for the winner for being an Asian-American female. Also, some argued that the wall should not sink in the ground but rise. It became knows as “the wall”, an “outrage”, and an “Orwellian glop”. The controversy upset Lin, Scruggs, and others. On the other hand, many people supported the wall. Some even helped raise money, as they raised more than eight million dollars. The memorial became a place where people who lost a member or friend could go and remember them. The memorial helped people feel close to the people they lost in Vietnam. As people visit the memorial, they have the opportunity to leave flower, flowers, and touch their names. Although there was controversy earlier, most agree that the memorial is an appropriate monument to the veterans. The New York Times reported that it was “something of a surprise is how