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Show F1 comut mtnon V.Z1 cc!--rcJ- tojg r? 0 rp idcjstics ai A 0 VocU Please see story, Page B2 Hilltop Times May 24, 1991 S v 4 ' r i - : . f :v if -- 1 w tit K i " V 1 i 1 ! 1 ... j U ) I;, 43 ; nil - mm ; 4 i '1(1(1)1! J1 H American forcet Information Service Photos by Rudi Willionis More than a name on a wall 'f V - ?yt Lit. f 'CiV " -- - - Alt y --- J ".. Left, the names of fallen veterans from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., are superimposed over a statue of three American fighting men. Above, a visitor rubs a name from the wall onto a piece of paper. Each year, thousands of visitors make rubbings of the names of loved ones at the memorial. A IniHOifelni by Rudi Williams American Forces Information Service She stood motionless, her eyes fixed on a name on the shiny black granite wall. She stood there in solemn reflection and wonder for nearly five minutes, oblivious to the throng of visitors walking gingerly around her at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Washington, D.C. Finally, she lowered her gaze, turned and headed for the exit. A red rose lay on the ground next to the wall Asked if she was staring at the name of a loved one, Allison Kelly, a bit startled at first, smiled and said: "When I was 10 years old, my parents gave me a POWMIA bracelet in memory of Maj. James Jefferson. That was more than 20 years ago. This is the first time I've had a chance to see his name on the wall. "All of the monuments in Washington are nice, but this one is emotional it grips one's heart," said Ms. Kelly, 31, of Jackson, Wyo. "I'm touring the country, seeing the sights, but the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial has a special meaning for me." A few feet away, U.S. Park Ranger Michael Lucas stood atop a tall ladder making a rubbing of a name for one of the visitors surrounding him. Mr. Lucas, who served as a Marine infantryman in Vietnam in 1968, asked to be posted at the memorial when he became a park ranger in 1988. "It was hard for me at first emotionally, because I lost a lot of friends during the 1968 Tet Offensive. There are 24 names of my buddies on panel 41-Working here has helped me adjust my life," said the former reconnaissance team sergeant. "I meet people and listen to their stories, their grief. I can relate to them better than the other rangers here E. Command focuses on wellness 2)$ 66 All of the monuments in Washington are nice, but this one is emotional it grips one's heart. I'm touring the country, seeing the sights, but the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial has a special meaning for me. 99 Allison Kelly ed to visitors' emotional experiences at the memorial. Now, all memorabilia are stored at the Park Service's Museum and Archaeological Regional Storage Facility in Lanham, Md. They're stored along with Civil War and American Indian artifacts and furniture and other items from such places as Paterson House, where Abraham Lincoln died, and the Frederick Douglass house. More than 20 million people have visited the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial since its dedication on Nov. 13, 1982. The sculpture of three American fighting men was installed in the fall of 1984. On Nov. 11, 1984, the president accepted the completed memorial on behalf of the nation. The cost: more than $7 million, raised through contributions from corporations, foundations, unions, veterans, civic organizations and more than 275,000 individual Americans. Of the more than 3,000 items left at the memorial, the ones Lucas remembers most are a two-foot-wid- two-foot-lo- who never went to Vietnam. This is my spot. I want to work at the wall." tenure at the memorial, LuDuring his four-yea- r cas has seen people crying at the wall, kneeling in silent prayer, cursing the loss of friends and loved ones. Others show the outpouring of their emotions grief, sadness, caring and love by leaving items that may seem strange to others. "People leave all kinds of things memories lots of flowers, group pictures from school, uniforms, boots, flags, teddy bears, letters, dog tags, photographs, ribbons, medals, plaques, music tapes, various religious items, even a Christmas tree and a little Santa Claus," Mr. Lucas said. It wasn't until after a woman left more than 20 personal letters to her son, killed in Vietnam on Feb. 13, 1969, that park officials realized the items relat '101 Critical Days' begin O V ng and two-foot-hig- h e, glass-bottome- d Viet Cong bamboo cage and a certain Purple Heart medal. "POWs had to squat barefooted in the cage. They would set it in the sun as a torture," said Mr. Lucas. "A man who was in a wheelchair came across the country to lay his Purple Heart medal at the wall last Veterans Day. It was in memory of his friend who died as a result of serving in Vietnam." The items Mr. Lucas found hardest to figure out were from a woman who placed 140 cans of fruit cocktail, each with a spoon on top, along the wall. They were her gift. "In the war, fruit cocktail was a treasured item. When a guy got fruit cocktail in his rations, he would share it with his buddies. This lady said she wanted everyone's name on the wall to share the fruit cocktail she brought." 142-foot-lon- g 28 added to heirforce |