Thursday, March 27, 2008

Virtual Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

Vietnam Veterans Memorial WallHave you ever visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.? The Wall is a pair of 246-foot black granite walls inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 American military casualties.

No longer do friends and family have to travel to Washington to pay their respects to the veterans that sacrificed their lives or became missing in action (MIA). They can now visit the "Interactive Vietnam Wall" online and experience the Wall in a whole new way. The interactive wall is searchable and every name etched onto the real-world wall is viewable online and linked to the veteran's service record. Online visitors can also add photos and describe their memories of the servicemen and women who died in the war.

More than 2,000 photos were taken of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall to create the online version. The resulting image is the equivalent of 460 feet wide and the largest image of its kind on the Web.

Other references and virtual wall attempts:
The Wall - USA
National Parks Service Vietnam War Veterans Memorial
The Virtual Wall
View the Wall
Wikipedia - Vietnam Veterans Memorial

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hate to disagree with you sir, but this lady does visit her biological daddy every time she is in DC. Of course I never knew him - I was adopted out and he forced to the army for being with my biological mother who was underage and white. (my biological daddy was part Apache). The courts gave him a choice, join the military or go to jail. He chose and chose well - despite losing his life there.

So when I visit the DC area (anywhere within three driving hours) to the wall and my daddy I go. sometimes we sit in silence and stare at one another. Sometimes we touch as my pencil rubs over his name....always the paper separates this father/daughter pair - but it is a touch nonetheless.

Some of us do visit The Wall. despite being techie type girls who could easily click links....... That Wall, with all it's etchings is home for me and my father. Nothing on the web could ever replace that.


Nice post :)

Bonez said...

Thank you for visiting Bonez, Anonymous, and hope you come back often. I never meant to intone that I considered the Virtual Wall to be a replacement for the real experience because nothing can ever be that. Everyone should try and experienc the real Vietnam War Memorial in person for themselves and pay honest respects to those fallen loved ones.

I am saddened that there hasn't been more response to this post but not really surprised. Veterans have long been ignored and not supported by our society. Their sacrifice (if on the field of battle or not) never truly appreciated or respected. What's scarier are those are the same folks that will also elect our next president of the United States...