The Vietnam War was a polarizing and traumatic event in American history. Should we stand strong against the spread of Communism or should we allow others to chart their own course? While many Americans signed up to serve in the United States Armed Forces, other Americans marched in the streets to protest the war.
When the war came to an unsatisfying end, many Americans wanted to forget about it and return to what was considered normal. For some, it was harder to forget. About fifteen thousand North Dakotans served during the war, and fifteen thousand families waited anxiously for their loved ones to return. There was an empty chair at fifteen thousand dinner tables. At one hundred ninety-eight of those tables, the empty chair would never be filled, as those North Dakotans never came home.
On this date in 1982, it was finally time to come to terms with the war as the Vietnam Memorial was dedicated in Washington DC. The unconventional memorial is not a heroic statue. On the day it was dedicated, it was engraved with fifty-seven thousand nine hundred thirty-nine names. One hundred ninety-eight of those names are North Dakotans. The names are not listed in alphabetical order but by the date the servicemember was killed. There are no ranks, recognizing that no one’s sacrifice was greater than another's.
Over the years, the number of names has grown as authorities have learned the fate of more service members. As of 2021, there are fifty-eight thousand two hundred eight-one names on the wall. Lee Allen, the spokesman for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, said, "These were mostly very young men who had hopes and dreams and lives that they left. We see them right now as a list of names, and we need to look beyond the name and scratch the surface and take a look at who they were."
The individuals whose names are on the wall were ordinary Americans who answered their country’s call and never came home. They left their hopes and dreams behind, along with an empty chair at the dinner table.
Dakota Datebook by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Dickinson Press. “Honoring the Fallen of Vietnam.” https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/news/honoring-the-fallen-of-vietnam-officials-seek-pictures-to-complete-digital-memorial#:~:text=The%20digital%20photo%20exhibit%20will%20honor%20the%2058%2C282,Vietnam%20Veterans%20Memorial.%20This%20includes%20198%20North%20Dakotans. Accessed 10/3/2024
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. “The Names.” https://www.vvmf.org/About-The-Wall/the-names/ Accessed 10/3 2024.
