ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL

Artifact assemblage dedicated to U.S. Army Specialist 4 (SP4) Robert Earl Worrell & U.S. Army Specialist 4 (SP4) Leslie Fred Shenk and consisting of a handwritten letter housed inside a handwritten envelope. The envelope is addressed to SP4 Worrell & Shenk and specifies their military unit identification as, "Co- C. 2/2 Mech. / 1st. Infantry Division". The letter is addressed, "My Dear Son", is signed, "Your loving Mother", is dated, "May 18, 1988", and opens with the line, "My son you went away and left me almost nineteen years ago." In content, the author of the letter recalls her last day with her son and records his justification for serving in Vietnam in the words, "[...] Mom I have to go, if we don't go there, they the communist [sic] could come over here." She also notes that, "When I hear people say that you died for no reason, I still cry for you but your words help give me the strenght [sic] that I needed all these long years that I have missed you so much." The artifact assemblage was left at The Wall by the mother of SP4 Worrell or Shenk [?] on May 18, 1988.

ASSEMBLAGE DEDICATED TO U.S. ARMY SPECIALIST 4 (SP4) ROBERT EARL WORRELL & U.S. ARMY SPECIALIST 4 (SP4) LESLIE FRED SHENK AND CONSISTING OF: COMPONENT (A) HANDWRITTEN LETTER AND COMPONENT (B) HANDWRITTEN ENVELOPE. COMPONENT (A) HANDWRITTEN LETTER. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A LETTER HANDWRITTEN IN BLACK INK AND CURSIVE SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SHEET OF WHITE, LINED NOTEBOOK PAPER. THE LETTER IS ADDRESSED, "MY DEAR SON", IS SIGNED, "YOUR LOVING MOTHER", IS DATED, "MAY 18, 1988", AND OPENS WITH THE LINE, "MY SON YOU WENT AWAY AND LEFT ME ALMOST NINETEEN YEARS AGO." IN CONTENT, THE AUTHOR OF THE LETTER BEGINS BY TELLING OF HER LAST DAY WITH HER SON, DESCRIBING HIM AS, "MY YOUNG MAN, SO HANDSOME IN HIS UNIFORM AND SO GROWN UP GOING OFF TO FIGHT IN THAT AWFUL WAR." SHE GOES ON TO RECALL PREPARING HIS FAVORITE FOODS FOR DINNER, BEING UNABLE TO EAT HERSELF BECAUSE SHE COULD NOT STOP CRYING, AND RECORDS HIS LAST WORDS TO HER AS, "[...] MOM I HAVE TO GO, IF WE DON'T GO THERE, THEY THE COMMUNIST [sic] COULD COME OVER HERE." THE AUTHOR REMINISCES THAT THE MOMENT SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY, AND STATES THAT, "[...] YOUR WORDS HELP GIVE ME THE STRENGHT [sic] THAT I NEEDED ALL THESE LONG YEARS THAT I HAVE MISSED YOU SO MUCH." SHE CLOSES HER LETTER WITH THE LINE, "I KNOW THAT ONE DAY I WILL SEE MY YOUNG MAN JUST AS HE WAS THAT LAST DAY WHEN WE SAID GOODBYE." THE HANDWRITTEN LETTER WAS ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED FOLDED AND HOUSED INSIDE COMPONENT (B). COMPONENT (B) HANDWRITTEN ENVELOPE. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A LETTER ENVELOPE COMPRISED OF PLAIN WHITE PAPER STOCK BEARING A TRIANGULARLY SHAPED, ADHESIVE CLOSURE FLAP AT THE REVERSE OBJECT SURFACE. AN INSCRIPTION HANDWRITTEN IN BLACK INK AND CURSIVE SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS AT THE CENTER OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE ENVELOPE READS, "SPEC. 4 ROBERT E. WORRELL - L.F. SHENK / CO - C. 2/2 MECH. / 1ST. INFANTRY DIVISION". COMPONENT (A) WAS ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED FOLDED AND HOUSED INSIDE THE LETTER ENVELOPE. ACCORDING TO VIVE CATALOG NOTES PREPARED BY MRCE COLLECTIONS STAFF, AN NPS RANGER'S TAG ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED WITH THE OBJECT SPECIFIED THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL (VVM) WALL LOCATION OF DONATION AND READ, "8/232 W21".

Text of the handwritten inscriptions upon the obverse object surfaces of COMPONENTS (A & B) is transcribed in full, as follows: [COMPONENT (A), obverse object surface, handwritten inscriptions] "May 18, 1988 / My Dear Son; / My son you went away and left me almost nineteen years ago. / My young man, so handsome in his uniform and so grown up going off to fight in that awful war. / I had fixed you a good dinner, everything you loved to eat. / And I couldn't eat for crying. / You was [sic] so brave, you put your arms around me and said Mom I have to go, if we don't go there, they the communist [sic] could come over here. / All this seems just like yesterday. / When I hear people say that you died for no reason, I still cry for you but your words help give me the strenght [sic] that I needed all these long years that I have missed you so much. / I know that one day I will see my young man just as he was that last day when we said goodbye. / Your loving Mother" / [COMPONENT (B), obverse object surface, handwritten inscription] "Spec. 4 Robert E. Worrell - L.F. Shenk / Co- C. 2/2 Mech. / 1st. Infantry Division"

Item Weight: 1.9g (Weight of COMPONENT (A) only)
Item Length: 20.3cm
Item Width: 15.2cm