April in America and the sadness of war.

The war on the other side of the globe ended 42 years ago, but for many Americans, the losses still haunt them today.

Fifty years ago today, 33 Marines and Fox 2-1 servicemen died in the Battle of Binh Son. The inscription on the wreath placed in front of the Vietnam War Memorial wall (National Mall, Washington DC) remains fresh, glistening with morning dew on a late April day in 2017.

In late April each year, flower arrangements, letters, and small mementos like these are brought here and placed in front of the cold stone slabs.

The war on the other side of the globe ended 42 years ago, but for many Americans, the losses still haunt them today.

Maureen Murphy-Payne, a volunteer at the memorial, is one of them.

Maureen, from Town of Norwood, Massachusetts, was a local police investigator before retiring.

For the past few years, she has joined the volunteer group at this Vietnam War memorial.

Each year, she and her brother, also a retired police officer, arrange to fly from Massachusetts to Washington D.C. two or three times to volunteer for one or two weeks. Their brother was an American soldier who died in Vietnam in June 1968.

They wanted to do something for their deceased brother. Maureen recounted that on the day the family received the news of her brother's death, everyone was silent, and even now, the void he left behind for his family remains immense.

"Later, after reading more documents, I learned that it was the year of the most intense fighting, and this memorial stone reflects that; 1968 was the year with the highest number of American soldiers killed," said Maureen.

She continued thoughtfully, "The inscriptions on this stone wall are not at all dry and boring. The names are given according to the dates they passed away. Behind each name, if it ends with a small diamond symbol, it means they have been confirmed dead. If it's marked with a plus sign, it means they are still missing, their bodies not yet found."

In the event that missing persons return alive, their names will be circled as a symbol of life.

The black stone wall, inscribed with over 58,200 names and their countless different fates, speaks volumes about the tragedy of war.

For decades, this memorial has been a place where we come to reflect and commemorate, not to glorify something.”

My conversation with Maureen was interrupted by an elderly woman who wanted help finding the name of a soldier inscribed on a stone tablet. A soldier who remains missing from the 1965 Vietnam War.

The woman said: "This American soldier's mother is too old to come here; she was asked to come to this memorial to confirm whether her son's body has been found."

Maureen quickly found out the soldier's name. She expressed regret that he was still missing!

Another reason Maureen arranged to visit Washington DC this time was that on April 22nd, a group of Vietnam War veterans from across the United States gathered at this memorial.

Trong sáng 22/4, một cuộc hội ngộ đầy xúc động đã diễn ra giữa các cựu binh, không có cảnh tay bắt mặt mừng, chỉ là những câu chào nhau chừng mực của những con người nay đã lớn tuổi, một số ngồi trên xe lăn và cần đến sự trợ giúp của tình nguyện viên.

“Vẫn còn quá khó khăn để nhắc lại câu chuyện hơn 40 năm trước. Cuộc chiến có quá nhiều chỉ trích về ý nghĩa của nó. Sau lễ tưởng niệm, có một chút ớn lạnh chạy quanh mình, người tôi cảm giác lạnh hơn so với nhiệt độ bên ngoài” - ông Jim Orman, một cựu binh, nói.

“Ngày nay, những đứa trẻ được bố mẹ chúng đưa đến đây, các em học sinh được thầy cô dùng bức tường minh họa trong các giờ học về lịch sử.

Điều đầu tiên khi chúng đến đây chỉ thốt lên “Đã có quá nhiều người chết”. Nhưng tôi biết ở VN con số người chết trong cuộc chiến này lên đến hàng triệu người, quá lớn để tấm đá nào có thể ghi đủ hết.

Tất cả những gì hiện diện tại đây nhằm để nhắc nhở với mọi người trên Trái đất này về sự tàn bạo của chiến tranh” - bà Maureen nói.

Theo Tuổi trẻ