Maya Lin receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA awarded Presidential Medals of Freedom to 21 individuals  who have exemplified the best of America.

The majority of the medals, the highest award bestowed to non-military citizens, went to celebrities in sports and the arts, including artist Maya Li.

President Obama and Maya Lin

An artist, Lin is perhaps best known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. 

Maya rose to fame when she was chosen as the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., now known as The Wall.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is composed of two walls spanning 246 feet in length that stand as a testament to human sacrifice. Etched upon it are the names of the more than 58,000 men and women who died or remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. It is one of the most poignant memorials in America.

At the time, the Vietnam War was the nation’s longest war and one of the most divisive. America was in search of healing and reconciliation. In 1980, a national design competition was launched. The winner was an unknown Maya Lin, a 21-year-old undergraduate student from Yale University. The design would be “a long, polished, black stone wall, emerging from and receding into the earth.”

After Maya Lin’s design was chosen, outrage ensued. Many were offended by its nontraditional design. Its color, black, was detested for its “sad” and “negative” connotation. It was referred to as a “black gash of shame” and a “degrading ditch.” Many also felt that an Asian-American should not be the designer.

Jim Knotts, CEO of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund released a statement on the President's recognition of Lin:

“The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will be forever grateful for Maya’s artistry. Her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was controversial when it was first introduced to the public, but 35 years later, her design has proven to be a remarkable piece of art that has changed the way a nation mourns. We continue to see Vietnam veterans start or continue their healing process when they stand in front of The Wall. And younger generations continue to be awed by the scope of the sacrifice as the walk the long walls and realize every name is a life cut short. They begin to learn what it means to serve our country. The Wall, through it’s simple but brilliant design, helped to heal a generation and our nation. The Wall began a body of work in both art and architecture that will continue to impact our country for generations to come. It is wholly appropriate that we recognize Maya Lin for her contributions with our nation’s highest civilian honor.”

The White House said, “A committed environmentalist, Lin is currently working on a multi-sited artwork/memorial, What is Missing?, bringing awareness to the planet’s loss of habitat and biodiversity.”

"I am so saddened by the stated goals of the incoming administration to dismantle the environmental protections that have made our water and our air and our communities safer and cleaner, and that (President-Elect Donald Trump) threatens to renege on the Paris Climate accord—which would be ... a disaster for us both ecologically and economically," she told NBC News.

The brilliance of Maya Lin's Vietnam Memorial: Visitors see themselves reflected in the black granite wall.

April 30, forty years ago.

The Vietnam Memorial rises from the depths as one of it's legs points towards the Washington Monument.

I COULDN'T let today, April 30, 2015, go by without mentioning the 40th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

The Vietnam War Memorial is one of the most emotionally moving monuments in Washington D.C. Designed by Maya Lin, a 21-year old Chinese American student, the memorial design was initially criticized because critics thought it was making a negative political statement. Critics wanted something more heroic and patriotic.

The simplicity of the design belies the emotion welling up inside you as you descend one of the legs of the V-shaped memorial. You read the engraved names as you descend down the path -- one name, two, four, until you get to center of the V. There are so many names the columns of names of the dead are over your head. Then it hits you in the gut. The sheer number of names of those American servicemen who died in that war is overwhelming. Over 58,000 of them. I went to high school with some of them. Some are relatives.

You look up and amidst the engraved names, the polished black granite reflects an image of the visitor. Then you get a second jolt with the realization: All these soldiers, they died for you. A few were my high school classmates. I was related to two others.

No matter what your political beliefs are, you can't help but be moved. It took an effort to hold back the emotions welling up inside me.

Then visitors walk up the slope of the other leg of the V. Thousands of names, hundreds and finally a single name. You have come out of the wedge that divided our country;  away from the black granite with all those names; away from the depths. In the distance you can see the Washington Monument. You can see the horizon again

Located discreetly amongst the trees near the memorial was another monument. It was a more traditional statue dedicated to the women who served in that war. In that era, women were not allowed in combat units so most women served in support units, like the combat nurses depicted in the statue. At the base of the statue was a note that took my breath away.

"I can't remember your name but I just wanted to say thanks for saving my life." It was signed, "One of many."

The tears came forth.