ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL

Framed, printed poem dedicated to U.S. Marine Corps Master Sergeant (MSgt) Timothy Roy Bodden & U.S. Army Major (MAJ) Arthur Gene Ecklund. The poem is entitled, "2500 Tear Drops Fall", is by, "Pat Sier / Vietnam Veteran's Wife", and was, "Placed at the wall in June, 1986 by Don and Pat Sier, Peoria, Il., out of love for you and your parents, Ralph & Edith Ecklund." In content, the poem addresses the plight of American POW*MIAs in Vietnam, calls for their return home, and concludes with the lines, "Look up America - lend them a hand / POW's to their Motherland / Bring them home, stop a Mother's pain / Then I'll say America, "I'm proud of you again." " The artifact was left at The Wall along with a virtually identical framed, printed poem (VIVE (9108)) by Don & Pat Sier in June 1986.

FRAMED, PRINTED POEM DEDICATED TO U.S. MARINE CORPS MASTER SERGEANT (MSGT) TIMOTHY ROY BODDEN & U.S. ARMY MAJOR (MAJ) ARTHUR GENE ECKLUND. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A POEM PRINTED IN BLACK INK AND ITALICIZED, BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SHEET OF WHITE, UNLINED PAPER. THE POEM IS ENTITLED, "2500 TEAR DROPS FALL", IS BY, "PAT SIER / VIETNAM VETERAN'S WIFE", IS, "DEDICATED TO TIMOTHY BODDEN / AND ARTHUR ECKLUND / POWs", WAS, "PLACED AT THE WALL IN JUNE, 1986 BY DON AND PAT SIER, PEORIA, IL., OUT OF LOVE FOR YOU AND YOUR PARENTS, RALPH & EDITH ECKLUND", AND IS COMPRISED OF SEVEN (7) STANZAS AND TWENTY-EIGHT (28) TOTAL LINES. IN CONTENT, THE POEM ADDRESSES THE PLIGHT OF AMERICAN POW*MIAs IN VIETNAM, CALLS FOR THEIR RETURN HOME, AND CONCLUDES WITH THE LINES, "LOOK UP AMERICA - LEND THEM A HAND / POW'S TO THEIR MOTHERLAND / BRING THEM HOME, STOP A MOTHER'S PAIN / THEN I'LL SAY AMERICA, "I'M PROUD OF YOU AGAIN." " THE POEM IS PRESENTLY HOUSED WITHIN A BRASS COLORED METAL, GOLD PAINTED WOOD, & GLASS PICTURE FRAME. THE FRAME IS BACKED AT THE REVERSE OBJECT SURFACE WITH A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED, BLACK CARDBOARD BACKING BOARD WHICH BEARS AN EASEL-STYLE DISPLAY STAND AND A BLACK METAL WALL HANGER FOR THE PURPOSES OF HANGING/DISPLAY. ACCORDING TO VIVE CATALOG NOTES PREPARED BY MRCE COLLECTIONS STAFF, THE ARTIFACT IS VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL TO VIVE (9108). THE OBJECT IS ASSOCIATED WITH VIVE (9108).

Text of the printed inscription upon the obverse object surface is transcribed in full, as follows: "2500 Tear Drops Fall / The tears they fall, so slowly down / For those lost in air, or on the ground / Their haunted eyes, a watch they keep / Till we bring them home, or God bids them sleep / The families pray and wonder why / America left them there to die / The families gave their only son / But America's ashamed - the war wasn't won / There's honor in death - or so they say / America, I'm ashamed you behave this way / We beg for help to get them back / You say they're not there, your hearts are black / You sent them as children to fight for you / The code of conduct said America is true / If you are captured on foreign land / We'd bring you home - we'd take a stand / But now they sit in captured wait / Please bring them home before it's too late / 2500 tear drops fell / America, erase some names from the wall / When they return, the war will be won / Give this mother back her son / Bring them home alive or dead / My God America, enough blood they've shed / Look up America - lend them a hand / POW's to their Motherland / Bring them home, stop a Mother's pain / Then I'll say America, "I'm proud of you again." / Pat Sier / Vietnam Veteran's Wife / Dedicated to Timothy Bodden / and Arthur Ecklund / POWs / Placed at the wall in June, 1986 by Don and Pat Sier, Peoria, Il., out of love for you and your parent, Ralph & Edith Ecklund."

Item Weight: 650.0g
Item Length: 28.0cm
Item Width: 23.0cm
Item Depth: 2.3cm (Depth)