ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL

Artifact assemblage dedicated to U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Henry Muir Serex and consisting of: a cardboard box, a commemorative POW*MIA bracelet, a newspaper clipping, & a printed letter. The bracelet bears an engraved inscription specifying Lt Col Serex' military rank, name, & casualty date, "MAJ. HENRY SEREX / 4-2-72", while the accompanying newspaper clipping describes the phenomenon of visitors to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (VVM) leaving behind memorial tokens that subsequently form the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection (VIVE). The printed letter is authored by Lt Col Serex' wife, Barbara Serex, and reads [in part], " Thank you for wearing the bracelet of Major Henry Serex. / We, his family, sincerely appreciate your concern for him and for the welfare of all of our POW's and MIA's in Southeast Asia [...] We sincerely hope all POW's will soon be released and all MIA's fully accounted for. / With your help, support and prayers, it may become a reality in the near future and not just wishful thinking." The artifact assemblage was left at Panel W2 of The Wall by an anonymous donor in September 1987.

ASSEMBLAGE DEDICATED TO U.S. AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT COLONEL (LT COL) HENRY MUIR SEREX AND CONSISTING OF: COMPONENT (A) CARDBOARD BOX, COMPONENT (B) COMMEMORATIVE POW*MIA BRACELET, COMPONENT (C) NEWSPAPER CLIPPING, & COMPONENT (D) PRINTED LETTER. COMPONENT (A) CARDBOARD BOX. THE OBJECT IS COMPRISED OF A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED, CARDBOARD SUBSTRATE COVERED AT THE EXTERIOR SURFACE WITH AFFIXED TEXTURED BLUE PAPER. A RED & WHITE VINYL ADHESIVE DECAL IS AFFIXED TO THE EXTERIOR, UNDERSURFACE OF THE BOX. THE DECAL IS COMPRISED OF A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED, RED BACKGROUND FIELD CHARGED WITH THE PHRASE, "HANOI: RELEASE OUR / POW-MIA" PRINTED AT THE CENTER IN WHITE, BLOCK SCRIPT. COMPONENTS (B - D) WERE ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED AT THE WALL HOUSED INSIDE THE CARDBOARD BOX. COMPONENT (B) COMMEMORATIVE POW*MIA BRACELET DEDICATED TO U.S. AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT COLONEL (LT COL) HENRY MUIR SEREX. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A FLAT STRIP OF RECTANGULARLY SHAPED, POLISHED ALUMINUM [?] METAL WITH ROUNDED ENDS BENT INTO A ROUGHLY CIRCULAR SHAPE TO FORM A BRACELET. AN ENGRAVED INSCRIPTION AT THE EXTERIOR, OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE BRACELET BEARS LT COL SEREX'S MILITARY RANK, NAME, & CASUALTY DATE, "MAJ. HENRY SEREX / 4-2-72", WHILE A SECONDARY INSCRIPTION STAMPED UPON THE INTERIOR OBJECT SURFACE IN RECESSED BLOCK SCRIPT READS, "VIVA"; THEREBY INDICATING THAT THE BRACELET WAS CREATED & DISTRIBUTED BY VOICES IN VITAL AMERICA (VIVA), AND AS SUCH IS AMONG THE ORIGINAL SUCH ITEMS PRODUCED. THE COMMEMORATIVE POW*MIA BRACELET WAS ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED AT THE WALL HOUSED INSIDE COMPONENT (A), ALONG WITH COMPONENTS (C & D). COMPONENT (C) NEWSPAPER CLIPPING. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF AN ARTICLE PRINTED IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SHEET OF WHITE, FOLDED, ROUGHLY CUT NEWSPRINT. THE CLIPPING IS OF AN ARTICLE ENTITLED, "MEMENTOES AT THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL" FROM THE SEPTEMBER 8, 1987 EDITION OF THE NEW YORK TIMES NEWSPAPER. THE ARTICLE BEARS A BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTION (PORTRAIT ORIENTATION) AT THE CENTER DEPICTING A CHRISTIAN CROSS & HANDWRITTEN NOTE LEFT AT THE BASE OF THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL (VVM) AS A MEMORIAL TOKEN, AND OPENS WITH THE LINE, "THOU-SANDS [sic] FILE PAST THE VIETNAM ME-MORIAL [sic] HERE EVERY DAY, MANY STUDYING IT INTENTLY TO FIND A FAMIL-IAR [sic] NAME AMONG THE 58,000 IN-SCRIBED [sic] THERE, OTHERS PAUSING MOMENTARILY TO RUN A FINGER ALONG THE BLACK MARBLE WALL." IN CONTENT, THE ARTICLE DISCUSSES THE PHENOMENON OF VISITORS TAKING NAME RUBBINGS UPON THE WALL, SAYING PRAYERS, AND LEAVING MEMORIAL TOKENS AT THE VVM WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY MAKE UP THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL COLLECTION (VIVE). THE LINE, "THE COLLECTION CONTAINS HUN-DREDS [sic] OF BRACELETS BEARING THE NAMES OF MISSING VIETNAM SERV-ICEMEN [sic] OR PRISONERS" IS UNDERLINED BY HAND, AND PRESUMABLY REFERENCES THE DONATION OF COMPONENT (B) [?] THE NEWSPAPER CLIPPING WAS ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED AT THE WALL HOUSED INSIDE COMPONENT (A), ALONG WITH COMPONENTS (B & D). COMPONENT (D) PRINTED LETTER. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A LETTER PRINTED IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF A SHEET OF WHITE, UNLINED PAPER. AT THE UPPER, PROPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE PRINTED LETTER IS A BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTION (PORTRAIT ORIENTATION) WHICH REPRESENTS A FORMAL MILITARY PORTRAIT OF LT COL SEREX AND DEPICTS HIM POSING IN HIS MILITARY ISSUE, AIR FORCE BLUE SERVICE DRESS UNIFORM WHILE FACING THE CAMERA IN FRONT OF A NONDESCRIPT STUDIO BACKDROP. THE LETTER IS HEADED, "MAJOR HENRY M. SEREX, U.S. AIR FORCE", IS SIGNED, "YOURS TRULY, / BARBARA SEREX", AND OPENS WITH THE LINES, "THANK YOU FOR WEARING THE BRACELET OF MAJOR HENRY SEREX. / WE, HIS FAMILY, SINCERELY APPRECIATE YOUR CONCERN FOR HIM AND FOR THE WELFARE OF ALL OF OUR POW'S AND MIA'S IN SOUTHEAST ASIA." IN CONTENT, MRS. SEREX NOTES THAT HER HUSBAND WAS LISTED AS, "MISSING-IN-ACTION" WHEN, "HIS PLANE WAS SHOT DOWN OVER SOUTH VIETNAM ON EASTER DAY, APRIL 2, 1972." THE AUTHOR GOES ON TO PROVIDE A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF LT COL SEREX, INCLUDING HIS BIRTH IN NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, HIS, "[...] 1955 GRADUATION FROM THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY, ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND", HIS MARRIAGE TO MRS. SEREX IN 1956, AND HIS SUBSEQUENT DUTY/TRAINING ASSIGNMENTS WITH THE U.S. AIR FORCE. SHE THEN STATES THAT, "WHAT WAS TO HAVE BEEN A YEAR'S TOUR OF COMBAT DUTY IN THAILAND BEGAN IN JULY, 1971", AND PROCEEDS TO DESCRIBE HER TWO (2) CHILDREN WITH HER HUSBAND WHILE ASSERTING THAT, "THE GIRLS AND I PLAN TO REMAIN HERE TO WAIT AND CONTINUE OUR LONG VIGIL FOR SOME DEFINITE WORD ABOUT MY HUSBAND." THE AUTHOR SUBSEQUENTLY ENUMERATES SOME OF HER HUSBANDS HOBBIES & INTERESTS, CHARACTERIZES HIM AS BEING, "[...] OF A QUITE, RESERVED TEMPERAMENT [WHO] HAS ALWAYS HAD AN EASYGOING OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK ON LIFE", AND CONCLUDES HER LETTER WITH THE LINES, "WE SINCERELY HOPE ALL POW'S WILL SOON BE RELEASED AND ALL MIA'S FULL ACCOUNTED FOR. / WITH YOUR HELP, SUPPORT AND PRAYERS, IT MAY BECOME A REALITY IN THE NEAR FUTURE AND NOT JUST WISHFUL THINKING. / I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED WHEN MY HUSBAND'S STATUS IS CHANGED." A POSTSCRIPT HANDWRITTEN AT THE LOWER, PROPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE LETTER READS, "VISITED VIETNAM MEMORIAL / SEPT. 7, 1983 - / HIS NAME IS ON PANEL 2W - LINE 128. / IN THE DIRECTORY HIS RANK IS LT. COL. AND HE WAS BORN MAY 9, 1931". THE PRINTED LETTER WAS ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED AT THE WALL HOUSED INSIDE COMPONENT (A), ALONG WITH COMPONENTS (B & C). ACCORDING TO VIVE CATALOG NOTES PREPARED BY MRCE COLLECTIONS STAFF, AN NPS RANGER'S TAG ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED WITH THE ARTIFACT READ, "10/40".

Text of the printed, engraved, stamped, & handwritten inscriptions upon the various object surfaces is transcribed in full, as follows: [COMPONENT (A), exterior, object undersurface, printed inscription] "HANOI: RELEASE OUR / POW-MIA" / [COMPONENT (B), exterior, obverse object surface, engraved inscriptions] "MAJ. HENRY SEREX / 4-2-72" / [COMPONENT (B), interior, reverse object surface, stamped inscription] "VIVA" / [COMPONENT (C), obverse object surface, printed inscriptions] "Mementoes at the Vietnam Memorial / The New York Times / Special to The New York Times / WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 - Thou-sands [sic] file past the Vietnam Me-morial [sic] here every day, many studying it intently to find a famil-iar [sic] name among the 58,000 in-scribed [sic] there, others pausing momentarily to run a finger along the black marble wall. / Some stay longer, to make a pencil rubbing of the name of a lost friend or relative, or to say a prayer, or to leave behind a trib-ute [sic] at the base of the wall, a photo-graph [sic] or a letter, or perhaps a military cap or a medal. / "Right from the outset, there were people who found the experi-ence [sic] of visiting the memorial so moving that they started leaving things," said Earle Kitterman, a spokesman for the Park Service. / Park Service rangers leave the tributes at the site for a day or so. / But then they are gathered up and taken to a warehouse in nearby Maryland. / Curators there are building a history of the war as it is reflected in the memories of those who visit the memorial and who, thus far, have left some 2,000 pieces of memorabilia. / The Park Service originally treated the mementoes as lost and found, keeping them in cardboard boxes in case anyone came to re-claim [sic] them, Mr. kittleman said. / But, as the items added up and it became clear that people did not intend to return for them, the service began saving them. / "They say something about that memorial and about what that memorial means to people, " Mr. Kittleman said. / The collection, while not open to the public, is available to researchers. / The collection contains hun-dreds [sic] of bracelets bearing the names of missing Vietnam serv-icemen [sic] or prisoners. / These brace-lets [sic], which were worn by many as a way of reminding others not to forget those whose fate was un-known [sic], are among the items most commonly placed at the base of the wall, according to Kim Robin-son [sic], a museum aide at the facility. / Mr. Robinson draws no conclusion from the placement of the P.O.W. bracelets, but says that things with names on them, like service dog tags, are frequently left. / Medals are sorted into types. / One veteran this summer left his Medal of Honor at the memori-al [sic], saying he was protesting the Reagan Administration's policies in Central America. / It is now part of the collection. / Hats also make up a sizable part of the collection, filling a dis-play [sic] case. / Flags, which are saved if there is writing on or with them, fill another bin. / The collection's tiniest memem-toes [sic] are often its most touching. / One visitor left a dollar bill. / On the back, an unsigned note says: "I've owed you this for years." " / [COMPONENT (D), obverse object surface, printed inscriptions] "MAJOR HENRY M. SEREX, U.S. AIR FORCE / Thank you for wearing the bracelet of Major Henry Serex. / We, his family, sincerely appreciate your concern for him and for the welfare of all of our POW's and MIA's in Southeast Asia. / Major Serex is fondly known as "Mick" by his family and "Hank" by most friends and co-workers. / His plane was shot down over South Vietnam on Easter Day, April 2, 1972. / Because of severe cloudy weather conditions and hostile activity in the area at the time, accompanying aircraft as well as search and rescue teams were unable to determine the fate of the plane's crew. / Thus, my husband has been listed as Missing-In-Action. / Mick was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and grew up in several areas of that state as his Dad, a minister, fulfilled church pastorships. / Both Rev. and Mrs. Serex passed away a number of years ago. / Two unmarried brothers live in New Orleans and a sister and her family live in the San Francisco area. / Following a 1955 graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, Mick has been a career officer in the Air Force. / In the years since our marriage in 1956, duty assignments have taken us to Iceland, Texas, Mississippi, Ohio, southern California, and northern California as he advanced through Navigator training, Electronics Warfare training and instructing. / Additionally, he spent 2 years at the Air Force Institute of Technology to receive a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering and followed this up as part of a team in space research and development. / What was to have been a year's tour of combat duty in Thailand began in July, 1971. / We have two daughters---Jennifer, 14, in 9th grade and Kathy, 11, in 6th grade. / They lead busy lives with a wide variety of activities. / Both of the girls have always been special pals with their Dad. / We have lived in Sacramento, California 6 1/2 years. / The girls and I plan to remain here to wait and continue our long vigil for some definite word about my husband. / I, a Registered Nurse, have been doing some part time nursing in this area. / Hobbies and interests have been many and varied for Mick. / In addition to being an excellent handyman, hunting, gun collecting, camping, photography and carpentry account for a few of his favorites. / He is of a quite, reserved temperament and has always had an easygoing optimistic outlook on life. / We sincerely hope all POW's will soon be released and all MIA's fully accounted for. / With your help, support and prayers, it may become a reality in the near future and not just wishful thinking. / I will keep you posted when my husband's status is changed. / Yours truly, / Barbara Serex [hand-signed]" / [COMPONENT (D), obverse object surface, lower, proper right-hand corner, handwritten inscription] "Visited VietNam Memorial / Sept. 7, 1983 - his name is on Panel 2W - Line 128. / In the directory his rank is Lt. Col. and he was born May 9, 1931"

Item Weight: 17.3g (Weight of COMPONENT (A) only)
Item Length: 7.5cm
Item Width: 12.4cm
Item Depth: 4.0cm (Depth)