The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is more than just a tourist attraction, standing as a stark reminder of the lives lost during the war.
Here are six quotes from veterans on what the Vietnam Memorial means to them.
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• "It chokes me up every time. It brings back a lot of memories because there are a lot of guys on the wall that I remember, and when I look at their names I remember them just like it was yesterday."
–
Frank Stroble, who served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam
• "The Wall is actually more than just 58,000-plus names. These are individuals. These are people who have given their lives. These are, many of them, my friends."
–
Richard Schroepfer, Vietnam War veteran, 1st Infantry Div - 1st of the 18th Infantry "Swamp Rats"
• "Before the Wall, all the monuments were big, giant statues and stuff like that. It’s like a shrine. To me, it’s still like the first time I’d seen it. My feelings there will always be the same."
– Larry Carter, a sergeant during the war,
told The Patriot-News
• "The immensity of that wall and all the names, it’s just incredible. I think that the Wall is meant to make people in general, the population, remember what the costs of war are."
– Tom Freedman, an Army combat veteran, told The Patriot-News
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• "I don't know what it is. You have to touch it. There's something about touching it."
– Kenneth Young, a Vietnam veteran visiting the wall in 1982, told
The New York Times
• "I try not to think of them as being on The Wall, but how I knew them before they got there."
– Gene Harris, who served multiple tours in Vietnam, told
CBS DC.
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