The Wall comes to Napa Valley

Sunday, May 7, 2006 1:12 AM PDT


War. Some of us try to get a handle on the enormity of it in terms of dollars spent. Others focus on the politics behind it, or the geopolitical results it might bring.

But all that pales in people's minds when they come face to face with the Wall.

The Wall is up at the Veterans Home in Yountville today. It will be there until tomorrow afternoon. If anyone wants to try to understand the sacrifice of war, the risk of life in the military, the dedication of our soldiers to our country and the impact on us all when our nation goes into battle with another, they should take a drive through the lovely vineyards and serene Napa Valley scenery to the Veterans Home of California.

There, they will find the Moving Wall, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The black marble monolith lists, in order of their deaths, the names of 58,249 casualties from a war that may not have changed the course of history, but certainly changed life in the United States.

It is a stark, ominous, overwhelming thing. It is even more searing for the thousands of us who are veterans, spouses of veterans, friends and children of veterans.

Pat Schultz went to the Wall on Thursday, looking for the names of contemporaries who left school to enter the military during the Vietnam War.

"I was still in high school, then. I've lived a whole life since then and they didn't get to. I'm here to pay my respects."

Schultz felt lucky to find only one of the names she sought.

The history of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is an interesting one, as well. Vietnam vets, infamously, were viewed differently from vets of other wars when they came home. This in part because America did not win the war in Vietnam, and in part because the social landscape of the country changed enormously during the war years. From the contentment and conservatism of the Eisenhower years, the country saw the explosive growth of the civil rights movement, women's movement, the rise of youth culture and the influence of television.

Veterans expecting a hero's welcome often did not find it.

In the 1970s Jan Scruggs, a member of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade who served in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970, became a leader in the effort to create the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

A newfound organization launched a contest for a memorial design, and received more than 1,400 entries. In 1981, the design by a Yale University student named Maya Lin -- an American-born woman whose parents had fled Communist China -- won the contest. Work on the wall, just a few steps from the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was completed in 1982.

The black granite came from Bangalore, India, and the stone was cut in Vermont.

Names continue to be added to the wall, when the Department of Defense determines that a service member died from combat wounds inflicted during the war. Some names were added as recently as last year.

Right now, Napans have a rare opportunity to visit the replica at the Vets Home. Visiting the Moving Wall, for many, is a profound, transformative experience. It should not be missed.

	Marble MARBLE: CHARACTERISTICS This standard includes general information on the characteristics and common uses of marble and identifies typical problems associated with the material. INTRODUCTION Marble is an extremely hard, metamorphic stone composed of calcite (CaCO3). It is formed as a result of the recrystallization of limestone under the intense pressure and heat of geologic processes. The effect of this process is the creation of a stone with a very tight crystalline structure and small but definite porosity. Because of its structure, marble can take a very high polish and is a very popular decorative stone for architectural and sculptural uses. The limited porosity of marble, especially polished marble, makes it less vulnerable to the leaching effects of water. Calcium carbonate, however, of which marble is composed, is highly susceptible to attack by acidic agents. Marble is readily dissolved by acids, even very dilute acids, however the actual results of acidic exposure will vary with the nature of the acid. Chlorides, nitrates, sulfates and other chemical compounds react differently with marble and produce various by-products, which have a wide range of solubility and impact on the durability of marble. For this reason, it is always important to determine the exact type of pollutants causing marble deterioration. Marble itself can be of two types, one composed of calcite and the other of dolomite. Dolomitic marble is much more resistant to acid attack than calcite marble. The color of marble ranges from the brilliant white of calcite to black, including blue-gray, red, yellow and green, depending upon the mineral composition. TYPICAL USES Marble has many decorative and structural uses. It is used for outdoor sculpture as well as for sculpture bases; in architecture it is used in exterior walls and veneers, flooring, decorative features, stairways and walkways. The way in which the stone is used may be a factor in limiting or controlling the severity of exposure. The use or function of the marble may also affect the feasibility of applying certain treatments, but type of use is not the primary factor in the major types of deterioration and damage to which marble is susceptible.