Vietnam War Memorial, Iowa State Capitol, Des Moines, IA, USA
Posted by: HANSENNI
N 41° 35.370 W 093° 36.135
15T E 449803 N 4604375
Iowa State Vietnam War memorial on the grounds of the Iowa State Capitol, Des Moines, Iowa.
Waymark Code: WM4TR5
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 09/29/2008
Views: 20
This curved polished black marble memorial is entitled "A REFLECTION OF HOPE". The names of the 853 Iowans who lost their lives in the war are engraved on the memorial in alphabetic order. The memorial was designed by the sculptor to reflect the names back into the memorial creating a somewhat surreal effect in bright sunlight. On the reverse curve of the memorial the emblems of the five US Armed Forces are engraved as is a depiction of a single soldier's temporary grave marker on the field of battle.
Other memorials in this area include the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Korean War and Purple Heart memorials as well as memorial the the crew of the WWII Submarine S-36 which was lost in the war with all hands while on patrol against Japanese forces in the Pacific. The memorials are scattered throughout a grove of mature black walnut trees creating a shaded and peaceful effect for visitors to the memorials.