On November 11th, 19 cadets including myself went to the New Jersey Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in celebration of Veteran’s Day. We started the trip by exploring the museum part of the memorial. There were large pictures on the walls as well as videos and interactive learning devices. To accompany each one was a descriptive paragraph. However, the one thing that stood out to me the most and is forever imprinted in my memory is the letters that soldiers sent home. They were preserved and put out in display for us to read. These letters gave us a feel for how it felt to actually be a part of the war.
After walking around inside for a bit, we were given a tour of the walkway to the memorial and the memorial itself. Everything had a meaning behind it, even the spacing between the trees; they were the exact distance apart that soldiers stood when standing guard. The memorial was built in a circular shape and had large panels with dates on them. Underneath each date were the names of the soldiers who died on that day. The last thing we saw was the Veteran’s Day Ceremony. Many different speakers went to the podium and spoke about loved ones and brave men and women who dedicated themselves to serving our country.
All said and done, this trip was very memorable and the memorial is definitely worth visiting again.
After walking around inside for a bit, we were given a tour of the walkway to the memorial and the memorial itself. Everything had a meaning behind it, even the spacing between the trees; they were the exact distance apart that soldiers stood when standing guard. The memorial was built in a circular shape and had large panels with dates on them. Underneath each date were the names of the soldiers who died on that day. The last thing we saw was the Veteran’s Day Ceremony. Many different speakers went to the podium and spoke about loved ones and brave men and women who dedicated themselves to serving our country.
All said and done, this trip was very memorable and the memorial is definitely worth visiting again.