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Remembering Our Heroes

How do we honor our heroes?

Background

Joining the military and becoming a soldier is one of the most challenging things a person can do. Defending one’s country is a
dangerous undertaking. Many soldiers do not survive. Any soldiers who die in the line of duty are considered to be war heroes.
As such, their nations honor them by memorializing them. In the United States, there are several large monuments dedicated to
doing just that.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. is an example of a monument commemorating fallen soldiers. Maya
Ying Lin designed the Memorial in 1982. Her vision was to create a “park within a park.” She did this by arranging it in a public
park called Constitution Gardens. The surface of the Wall is reflective, so it reflects the trees, grass, and surroundings. The
names of all the American soldiers who died during the Vietnam War are inscribed on the wall. Many people who lost loved
ones in the war visit the Wall to remember the sacrifice made by all the soldiers whose names appear on the Wall. It is a place
for people to come together and remember that they are not alone in their grief. It’s an acknowledgement of the heroism
exemplified by all the soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War.

Background

Another example of a monument to our heroes is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. In 1921,
after the end of World War I, Congress decided that it was important for Americans to have a special place dedicated to
memorializing all the soldiers who never made it home after the war. Many fallen soldiers were never identified. Often, they
were declared missing and presumed dead. It didn’t seem fair that these soldiers shouldn’t have a tombstone or a designated
space for their loved ones to visit and grieve. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was designed to fulfill that need. Now, the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is also dedicated to the unidentified fallen soldiers of World War II, the Korean War, and the
Vietnam War.

There are several other monuments all around the world that memorialize war heroes, both alive and not. There are also
monuments to specific heroes and to the great number of war heroes who gave their lives and remain unidentified. How do we
honor our heroes?

Open Ended

How do we honor our heroes?

Poll

Which do you think is the most effective way of honoring our heroes?

• Monuments like walls and statues

• National holidays like Memorial Day

• Donating time or money to Veterans' services

• All are equally effective

Multiple Choice

Number Crush

Take a guess on what the number 58,272 means?!

• Number of names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

• Number of yearly donations Veterans recieve

• Number of housing projects for Veterans

• Number of times Veterans are recognized a year