New Addition to One of D.C.'s Most Popular Attractionsby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 12 Nov 2007 01:16 PM More than 4 million visit Washington, D.C.'s Vietnam War Memorial each year. Over the years the black granite wall, which features the names of nearly 60,000 soldiers who died or remain missing has welcomed some notable additions, including statues of soldiers on patrol, a tribute to female veterans, and a plaque honoring those who died after the war as a result of injuries suffered in it. However, none of those additions compare to a new proposed visitors center. The 35,000-square-foot space could cost up to $100 million. Compare that with the memorial, which cost $8.4 million, or just under $18 million in today's dollars. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund has raised $15 million and hopes to open the new center within the next five years. While the existing design has yet to gain final approval, the working model features ramps that descend into an underground area. Inside, the center is expected to include a large screen of changing photos of the more than 58,000 people whose names are engraved in the black granite wall. Their pictures would be rotated and a photo of each of the fallen heroes would appear on his or her birthday. Across from the large screen of faces would be some of the 100,000 objects that have been left at the memorial from dog tags, medals, and boots to stuffed animals, birthday cards, even a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The new center would also feature a timeline of the war and the effort to build the memorial--minus the anti-war protesters. Future visitors to the site would also pass images of fallen soldiers from all of America's wars from the Battle of Lexington in 1775 to the current conflict in Iraq. Not surprisingly, the new addition to the memorial has ruffled the feathers of some critics who complain the new visitors center is too extravagant and takes away from the simplicity of the wall. Other opponents maintain the proposed underground center evokes the tunnels where the Viet Cong hid. What do you think? Related Articles: Visiting Washington, D.C.'s Most Popular Museums Hawaii's "Not So Famous" Military Memorials National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl Pearl Harbor: An Unforgettable Trip Visiting Pearl Harbor's Newest Attraction More Educational Vacation Destinations Family Friendly Attractions in Baltimore More Of Maryland's Top Family Friendly Attractions Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevanttravel tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags D.C., memorials, Travel, Vietnam Memorial, Washington Discuss this article
|
Travel categories |
