ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL

ITEM SUMMARY

Artifact assemblage dedicated to Vietnam-era U.S. Marine Corps veterans and consisting of one (1) pair military issue, Belleville 390 DES hot weather desert tan combat boots, size 12 and a handwritten letter composed upon U.S. Marine Corps stationery. The letter is from U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lieutenant and Iraq War veteran, "Frank P. [last name illegible]", is dated, "12 DEC 08", is addressed to, "BROTHERS", and in content describes the pair of Belleville desert combat boots as the lucky boots that, "[...] GOT ME THROUGH TWO TOURS ON THE GROUND IN IRAQ". The letter goes on to state that the author and the nation at large owe the Vietnam generation of U.S. Marines a great deal, noting that, "IF YOUR GENERATION OF MARINES HAD NOT COME HOME TO JEERS, INSULTS, AND PROTESTS, MY GENERATION WOULD NOT COME HOME TO THANKS, HANDSHAKES, AND HUGS". The artifact assemblage was left at The Wall by a U.S. Marine Corps and Iraq War veteran identified only as, "Frank P." between May - June 2009.

ITEM DESCRIPTION

ASSEMBLAGE CONSISTING OF: COMPONENTS (A & B) ONE (1) PAIR MILITARY ISSUE, BELLEVILLE HOT WEATHER COMBAT BOOTS, COMPONENT (C) LETTER ENVELOPE, AND COMPONENT (D) HANDWRITTEN LETTER. COMPONENTS (A & B) ONE (1) PAIR (LEFT- COMPONENT (A) AND RIGHT- COMPONENT (B)) BELLEVILLE 390 DES HOT WEATHER DESERT TAN COMBAT BOOTS, SIZE 12. THE BOOTS CONSIST OF VANGUARD RUNNING SHOE SOLE CONSTRUCTION, TAN CORDURA NYLON UPPER, TAN LEATHER BOTTOM, POLYURETHANE CUSHION MIDSOLE, VIBRAM SIERRA OUTSOLE, TWO (2) GROMMET AND SIX (6) HOOK LACING, AND WOVEN TAN FABRIC BOOTLACES (LACES MISSING FROM COMPONENT (B)). BOTH COMPONENTS (A & B) EVINCE A MANUFACTURER/SUPPLIER'S STAMP IN THE LEATHER AT THE HEEL OUTSTEP REPRESENTING THE U.S MARINE CORPS BRANCH INSIGNIA, WHILE COMPONENT (A) POSSESSES A HANDWRITTEN LABEL IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT AFFIXED TO THE NECK AT THE PROPER RIGHT-HAND SIDE (OUTSTEP) WITH A VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL (VVM) WALL LOCATION READING, "1E". BOTH COMPONENTS (A & B) ALSO EVINCE THE REMOVAL OF FABRIC FROM THE INTERIOR NECK AREA THAT APPEAR TO HAVE CONTAINED HANDWRITTEN PERSONAL INFORMATION IN BLACK MARKER AND BLOCK SCRIPT. THE BOOTS WERE USED DURING TWO (2) SEPARATE TOURS OF DUTY IN IRAQ BY THE AUTHOR OF THE HANDWRITTEN LETTER (COMPONENT (D)). COMPONENT (C) LETTER ENVELOPE. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A WHITE, UNSEALED, BUSINESS-SIZED LETTER ENVELOPE. THE HANDWRITTEN LETTER (COMPONENT (D)) WAS ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED HOUSED INSIDE COMPONENT (C). COMPONENT (D) HANDWRITTEN LETTER. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A HANDWRITTEN LETTER IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SHEET OF WHITE, RED LINED U.S. MARINE CORPS STATIONERY. PRINTED IN RED INK AT THE UPPER, CENTER EDGE OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE STATIONERY SHEET IS A REPRESENTATION OF THE U.S. MARINE CORPS BRANCH INSIGNIA (I.E. A GLOBE ILLUSTRATING THE CONTINENTS OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE INTERSECTED BY A FOULED ANCHOR AND SURMOUNTED BY AN AMERICAN EAGLE WITH OUTSTRETCHED WINGS, FACING TO THE PROPER RIGHT-HAND SIDE, AND GRASPING A SCROLL IN ITS BEAK WHICH BEARS THE MARINE CORPS MOTTO, "SEMPER FIDELIS" IN BLOCK SCRIPT), WHILE THE PHRASE, "UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS" IS SIMILARLY PRINTED IN RED INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE BRANCH INSIGNIA. THE LETTER IS FROM U.S. MARINE CORPS FIRST LIEUTENANT, "FRANK P. [illegible last name]", IS DATED, "12 DEC 08", IS ADDRESSED TO "BROTHERS" AND IN CONTENT DESCRIBES THE PAIR OF BELLEVILLE DESERT COMBAT BOOTS (COMPONENTS (A & B)) AS THE LUCKY BOOTS THAT, "[...] GOT ME THROUGH TWO TOURS ON THE GROUND IN IRAQ". THE LETTER GOES ON TO STATE THAT THE AUTHOR AND THE NATION AT LARGE OWE THE VIETNAM GENERATION OF U.S. MARINES A GREAT DEAL, NOTING THAT, "IF YOUR GENERATION OF MARINES HAD NOT COME HOME TO JEERS, INSULTS, AND PROTESTS, MY GENERATION WOULD NOT COME HOME TO THANKS, HANDSHAKES, AND HUGS". COMPONENT (D) WAS ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED HOUSED INSIDE COMPONENT (C).

ASSOCIATED ITEM TEXT

Text of the handwritten label upon COMPONENT (A) and of the printed and handwritten inscriptions upon COMPONENT (D) is transcribed in full, as follows; [COMPONENT (A), affixed label, handwritten inscription] "1E" / [COMPONENT (D), obverse object surface, printed inscriptions] "SEMPER FIDELIS / UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS" / [COMPONENT (D), obverse object surface, handwritten inscriptions] "12 DEC 08 / BROTHERS, / THESE ARE MY LUCKY BOOTS. / THEY GOT ME THROUGH TWO TOURS ON THE GROUND IN IRAQ. / I FIGURED YOU'D APPRECIATE THEM MORE THAN THE GARBAGE MAN. / THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, WE OWE YOU AN AWEFUL [sic] LOT. / IF YOUR GENERATION OF MARINES HAD NOT COME HOME TO JEERS, INSULTS, AND PROTESTS, MY GENERATION WOULD NOT COME HOME TO THANKS, HANDSHAKES, AND HUGS. / REST EASY GENTS, / [signature] Frank P. [illegible last name] / 1st LT USMC"

ITEM DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

Item Weight: 2050.0g (Collective weight of COMPONENTS (A & B) only)
Item Length: 34.3cm
Item Width: 12.1cm
Item Height: 26.0cm