Lagniappe Three, Winter 2003

In New Orleans, the word "Lagniappe" (pronounced LAN-IAPE) mean "a little something extra." I will be adding a little bit of Lagniappe to the website every few months. The photographs will likely be from a small project I am currently working on, or perhaps something from the past that I wanted to share for the first time.

The third installment of Lagniappe, "The Wall," marks the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. I was 23 in November 1982, and had graduated from college the previous spring. My thesis had been series of portraits of Vietnam veterans I had befriended during my travels to and from Texas during 1981-2. The veterans movement was just beginning to become organized. I was young, somewhat naive, and had a romantic notions about who Vietnam veterans were. Lke many of my generation, I bought into the current media stereotype that portrayed veterans as bitter, angry, camo-wearing kooks who often went off the deep end. Befriending men and women who had served in Vietnam changed my outlook completely. Most were kind and generous, and spent years trying to put their war experience in proper prospective. I had spent the summer after my graduation working with various veterans groups in Massachusetts. As my project began to wind down in the fall of 1982, I traveled to Washington DC for the dedication of the new Vietnam Memorial. It was controversial from the beginning. In a town filled with thousands of white marble statues, the early reports of a black granite wall sunk into the ground angered many veterans. While they intiailly thought that such a monument did not adequately honor there struggle, when they saw the completed structure, they suddenly had a change of heart. Everyone I spoke to loved it! The scene surrounding the dedication of the memorial was somewat surreal. It was very emotional for most of the veterans who had served in Vietnam. For many, it was the first time they had had a parade to "welcome" them home. I had come with my friend Alan, who has served in the 173rd Airbourne Division in 1966-7. Alan was a very levelhead guy, but even he got lost in the intensity of the event. I lost him the crowd the day of the parade. He staggered back to the house later in the evening, embarrassed, but relieved. It was if a great burden had been lifted. In reviewing the negatives from 20 years ago, I was struck with how few images I had of the wall itself. Most were of the veterans I had meet while working on the project. The final image of the wall was actually taken six months later on a return visit. In the near future, I will mount a separate essay containing some of the portraits from my project on Vietnam veterans.

Gold Star Mom.....Strike up the band.....Massachusetts delegation.....Wheelchair bound.....Brothers from Springfield.....First viewing..... Westy.....Uncle Sam?..... Reunion of nurses.....Hospitality suite.....Too much.....The wall.....

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