The high black granite slabs that are part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, are recorded with the names of more than 58,000 American men and women who died as a result of the Vietnam War, which ended 50 years ago 30.
Visitors can rub a pencil on a small strip of paper, which the commemorative guide provides for free, to create a dark gray image of the name of a person to take home.
However, some visitors choose to leave something of their own.
Medals and war decorations.
Photos.
Dog tags.
Stuffed animals.
Flowers.
Death warnings.
Since their dedication in 1982, visitors of “The Wall”, as it is called, have left the resources of the brief there in honor of friends and family whose names are carved in the stone and gold with gold sheet.
These are deeply personal acts, generally made in silence and without fanfare.
Have you ever left something on the monument? If so, it would be honored if I shared its story with me to help the New York Times commemorate the end of the war.
I will read each answer to this questionnaire and communicate again if we decide to highlight your story. I will publish any part of your answer without following you first, verify your information and close from you. And I didn’t share your contact information outside of time.