Our Parents Decided Not To Teach Us

War Is Not Just A Victory Or Loss ... People Die.

I Deliberately Did Not Read Anything About The Vietnam War Because I Felt The Politics Of The War Eclipsed What Happened To The Veterans. The Politics Were Irrelevant To What This Memorial Was.

I Probably Spent The First 20 Years Of My Life Wanting To Be As American As Possible. Through My 20s, And Into My 30s, I Began To Become Aware Of How So Much Of My Art And Architecture Has A Decidedly Eastern Character.

When I Was Building The Vietnam Memorial, I Never Once Asked The Veterans What It Was Like In The War, Because From My Point Of View, You Don't Pry Into Other People's Business.

Every Memorial In Its Time Has A Different Goal.