A Minnesota PBS Initiative
Stories from the Vietnam Wall
As Wayne Dionne notes in his story submission, "the power of the Vietnam Wall is real." We've assembled this collection of stories relating to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the scaled traveling replica, The Wall That Heals, in order to convey some of that power.
As he continued his unwavering stare, he said "I never came home from over there."
The panel on the wall says it all, because it is--like so many other war deaths--a terrible waste.
I was standing alone by the Vietnam Memorial late that evening. Not another soul was there.
I walk along The Wall, tears fill my eyes. Over 58,000 men and women, in Nam, they lost their lives.
The light was rapidly fading and an eery silence settled about me... My senses went on alert.
I did not make my first trip until 2012 because I didn't want to remember. I just didn't want to.
In reality, things were not so well. From the rice paddies and the jungles, war was a living hell.
It was a coming out of sorts for me, freely and publicly talking about my status as a vet.
If you've paid a visit to the Wall, we'd love to hear from you, too.
Share your story
Biographical Details
Submitted From: Washington, DC
Story Subject: Military Service
Story Themes: Bill Habedank, Diane O'Shaugnessy, Doug Bradley, Larry Davis, Listen, Look, Music, Poetry, Read, Ron Mackedanz, Ronn Easton, Shaun Schipper, Stories on a Theme, The Vietnam Memorial, The Vietnam Wall, Watch, Wayne Dionne