Vietnam Veterans Memorial Narrative

Two years ago, Arlington National Cemetery, one of the nation’s oldest cemeteries, celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary of substantial historical and moral significance. Founded after the American Civil War, the cemetery has been home to many of our fallen heroes, particularly those who have died during conflicts with American involvement and people of considerable national significance, such as presidents. The cemetery is one of extensive size and holds many monuments to memorialize the fallen. Arlington National Cemetery, a symbol of American patriotism, is the location of final rest for those who died during or after their call to arms or have achieved great importance in our nation; the cemetery’s historical, moral, and national

Lee Teter created his painting Reflections in 1988 using oils on canvas. Just as the title suggests, the painting’s subject is reflections on the Vietnam Memorial Wall. The painting belongs to a private collection owned by Teter himself. In Reflections, Teter depicts a man leaning on the Vietnam Memorial Wall as soldiers reflect back on him, captures on canvas these reflections using muted hues, and immortalizes the loss and struggle of those affected by the Vietnam War.

What was not the same, however, was myself. I had always possessed a love for our free, opportune country, and those who pay the ultimate sacrifice to protect it. That was the driving force for me to even enter an essay into the contest to lay the wreath. After the ceremony, the cost of freedom became more evident to me than ever. This ceremony transformed my love into a passion. A passion to thank a veteran every time I notice one walk past me on the street. A passion to begin serving our injured and elderly veterans at the Veterans Administration hospital. A passion to nurture the diversity that truly makes this country “America the Beautiful.” A passion for my career to be one that helps this country remain the land of the free and home of the brave. With freedom on my side, this passion has and will become a

Veterans Day is distinct from most holidays. It is something that should hold true to everyone’s heart. No matter if you personally are a veteran or not, chances are you know someone that is. On November 11th, we celebrate all the wonderful things that military veterans have done for us in protecting our country. The United States set aside this day to honor our veterans, however we should honor them as much and as often as possible.

What a Veteran means to me. It means, freedom, honor, putting their life on the line everyday. So that me, my mom, my dad, my sister, my grandparents,and the rest of my family and friends can have freedom. We all have freedom and we owe them our respect because if it was not for God and a Veteran who knows how this world would be. We celebrate Veterans Day every year on November 11th to honor the men and women who served and is still serving our wonderful country. We shouldn’t honor a veteran just once a year but everyday because they are protecting us everyday. When we say the pledge in the mornings we should be thinking about our veterans and what they did for us.

My Grandpa inspired me to think more about veterans on Veterans Day because of what he has been through and what he did for the family. He was a South Vietnamese soldier during the Vietnam War and worked along with the American soldiers there. After the Vietnam war ended in 1975, things started becoming miserable for people like him in South Vietnam, so he escaped from Vietnam by boat and went to the United States. He left when my Dad, uncle, and aunt were babies. Fifteen years later, he sponsored my grandma, Dad, uncle, and aunt to come and live in the United States with him. When he saw them again at the airport, he did recognize them at first because it had been a while since he last saw them. Because of

I am so grateful for all the people that put there life on the line to help our country. They have made many sacrifices just to help people, and ninety percent of those people, they don’t even know. That takes a whole lot of heart. It would be so hard to be away from your family for even a month, let alone a year. Imagine how hard it would be to miss the birth of one of your children.

Battle scars, wounds that run deeper than the lacerations themselves, trauma and heartbreak that we will never understand- all for our nation. Thanks to them, we can enjoy a high quality of life in a safe, peaceful country. The Bill of Rights and the Constitution would not have meaning if they were not defended; our personal liberties would be nonexistent and our aspirations would not be possible. America is beautiful in that uniqueness is embraced and the spread of ideas is promoted, not stifled. Our hopes and dreams can only be achievable when liberty and freedom are upheld. Veterans’ sacrifices ensure our citizens’ dreams will be within reach in a country that is, in all senses of the word,

Witness an official ceremony of Veteran’s Day at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington, VA’s cemetery, where John F. Kennedy spoke eleven days before his assassination, and his body later returned to. Savor a moment reflecting on the tomb of the “Unknown Soldier” from World War I, and admire a sophisticated switching of the guard on the dot of every hour.

Shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War which resulted in over 620,000 deaths, the reeling United States of America created the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to honor the soldiers who passed during service to their country. The monument symbolizes that there is no American who dies in battle that goes unforgotten. I personally have never gotten the privilege to visit the cemetery, but I have had the opportunity to see other monuments such as, the WWII Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. These memorials have the same overwhelming feeling of respect and gratitude for the men and women who gave their lives for the life we have today. Based on this information, I

You left your family and friends into a bloody war you could of died but you didn’t mind. You took your life for mine. You made things in life better then if you didn’t go into the war. My papa went into the war and he made it out safe. Those stripes and stars in our flag came from you. You saved many lives on the other side of the battle field. You chose to leave behind your loved ones and your life to die, make it home safe, or to have major injuries. Some people don’t care about the Veterans. But I care about veterans and all the people writing these essays.

Whether you know a veteran or not, they have impacted America in many positive ways. I know that I should stop and think about this more than I do, but I feel that Americans take their freedom for granted in most cases. I often stop and think about all of the things that are possible because of my freedom. My freedom allows me to wed a husband of my choice and someday have a family. I am able to go to college to pursue the career of my choice and interest. These men and women are the source to our endless

Ever since 9/11, Americans have felt vulnerable to another 9/11-type attack. Even today, all that is on the news are terror groups wreaking havoc all over the world. Susan Faludi wrote The Terror Dream that outlined how America came to the impression that manly men are needed to protect our nation/women. After 9/11, America needed heroes, someone to look to for inspiration. As 9/11 played over and over on television for weeks after, America found that the first responders were the heroes they were looking for. This “strong” men who risked their lives to save others was where Americans placed their admiration. However, in order to think of these men as “heroes”, Americans had to forget that many of them died on that day as well as thousands

My name is Mildred Owens, I am 13 years old and my father had to go and fight in World War I. Today was the day that he finally got to return home to us. He had been away for almost a year. It was 1918, the end of World War I. The Last Battles had ended and we the americans had won the war. The streets of Washington, D.C. filled with joy and relief as the soldiers returned to their families and loved ones. Some soldiers were injured, broken, clueless, or not there. My father would be coming home on the train. So my mother, my little brother Jack, and myself stood in front of the train station waiting, watching, and listening for the first two trains, but when they did arrive father wasn’t there. Mother had told me not to worry for father could

My whole body was paralyzed and at that moment I was convinced that I was going to die. Daunting thoughts began to swell within my head and the yearning to cry was only thriving as the minutes passed. Sleeping had become a struggle ever since my parents had announced their divorce two months prior. Dealing with the consistent fighting of my parents during the day was enough to make me want to sleep eternally at night. However, after experiencing sleep paralysis for the first time I was then introduced to the enchanting world of lucid dreaming. As an illustration, I was enchanted by the creations I could cultivate as I slept. Under those circumstances, lucid dreaming is an overwhelming phenomenon that has had a substantially positive impact on my life.