MEMORIALS, MEMORY, AND HEALTH: HOW MEMORIALS IMPACT RECOVERY FROM TRAUMA AND ILLNESS

The need to commemorate and remember is as evident now as it was in the past. Recent estimates indicate that approximately 300,000 veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom report symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and severe depression. These disorders have resulted from combat-related traumatic brain injury and from taking part in or viewing traumatic events. Experiencing a memorial might reduce symptoms of PTSD. Popular and scholarly articles have been written on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as an art object and some have also addressed the Memorial’s psychological effects. Yet, no one has attempted to synthesize this literature to inform a comprehensive understanding of how the design of the Memorial may impact Vietnam War combat veterans’ PTSD. This book shares an empirical study of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Vietnam War combat veterans who use it. The study’s findings have implications for a wide-range of settings including memorials and hospitals.