TESTIMONY OF
ROBERT W. DOUBEK, ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT
VIETNAM WAR IN MEMORY MEMORIAL, INC.
BEFORE THE U.S. SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE
ON NATIONAL PARKS, HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND RECREATION
REGARDING
S. 1921
VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL PLAQUE

APRIL 27, 2000

Mr. Chairman; Members of the Subcommittee.

My name is Robert W. Doubek. I reside in Washington, D.C., and I am employed in the private sector. I thank you for the opportunity to testify today in support of S. 1921.

I served as an Air Force intelligence officer in Vietnam in 1969, and after my service attended law school on the GI Bill. In 1979, together with Jan Scruggs and others, I was a co-founder of the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Fund. I became the Fund's first employee in December of 1979, opened its first office, and launched its initial fund raising efforts. First as executive director and later as project director, I
served full time until mid-1983, through completion of the construction of the Wall and the decision on the location of the statue.

Mr. Scruggs, John Wheeler and I were considered to be the three principal leaders of the effort to build the memorial. The three of us were pictured in the 1985 story about the memorial in National Geographic,
and the Senate in 1986 voted to award each of us a Congressional Gold Medal for our work. Moreover, the three of us were depicted as the three main leaders of the memorial effort in To Heal a Nation, a
book authored in 1985 by Mr. Scruggs and Joel Swerdlow.

Mr. Scruggs, Mr. Wheeler and I each played uniquely different roles. As project director I was directly in charge of the process of designing and constructing the memorial. I directed the national design
competition, which attracted 1421 entries. Together with the winning designer, Maya Lin, I selected the architect, the landscape architect and the other professionals needed for the project. I selected the
construction management firm, the engineers and the other necessary contractors. I then coordinated the work of the design and construction team to complete the project.

I was also in charge of obtaining all Federal approvals for the design and I made presentations to the National Capital Memorial Advisory Committee, the Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning
Commission, and the Secretary of the Interior in sixteen formal hearings.

I strongly believed in the appropriateness of the Wall design created by Ms. Lin, and I was vigorously opposed to any changes or additions to that design. Only when I realized that politics dictated that there
would be no memorial at all unless the statue of the three soldiers was added, did I accept even that addition. I then led the contract negotiations with the sculptor Frederick Hart, and worked to obtain approvals
for the statue from the necessary commissions. I also worked closely with our architects to find the appropriate location and landscape treatment for that statue and a large flagstaff.

In 1987 I strongly opposed a proposal, backed by draft legislation, to add a statue of a lone woman next to the three soldiers. By testifying before Congress, mobilizing public sentiment, and attracting media
attention, I was instrumental in defeating that proposal because it was divisive and violated the artistic integrity of the memorial as a whole.

Today I support the addition of the "In Memory" plaque for three basic reasons. First, it is in keeping with the original purpose and philosophy of the memorial. Second, it has no negative effect upon the artistic
integrity of the memorial. Finally, it sets no precedent for further additions.

The purpose of the memorial was to honor and recognize the service and sacrifice of the American men and women who served in the Armed Forces in the Vietnam war. As a special tribute, the names of those
who died or remained missing were inscribed. When we planned the list of names, we assumed that the question of who died in the war was clear cut and that the list compiled by the Department of Defense was
complete. Within two days after the memorial was dedicated and the list of names published, I had heard from dozens of families who believed that the name of their loved one should be added. Many of the
cases were very compelling, such as men who had been discharged from the military but had died in VA hospitals of the wounds they received in Vietnam.

In many cases a decision whether to add a name required the wisdom of Solomon. Fortunately, this job was for the Department of Defense, and DOD set up a panel consisting of an historian, a physician, and
others to review the cases. As a result, hundreds of names have been added to the Wall since its dedication in 1982.

With the hindsight of two decades, it is now clear that the casualties of Vietnam were not only those named on the Wall. The casualties include thousands who returned home to family and friends but who have
died prematurely as a result of their Vietnam service. These include those exposed to Agent Orange, and those subject to severe post traumatic stress syndrome.

The "In Memory" plaque will honor them. It will provide a special tribute to their unique sacrifice. It will comfort their loved ones by providing a societal acknowledgment of their loss.

My second reason is that the "In Memory" plaque will have no negative effect upon the artistic integrity of the memorial. The approximately three-foot-square plaque would be placed at ground level within the
bounds of the Memorial's 13-acre site, but not close to the Wall. The artistic elements of the memorial are the vertical surfaces of the polished granite walls, the statue of the three soldiers, the flag staff, and the
surrounding trees. There are numerous locations where the plaque can be placed along the surrounding walkways, to be discovered by visitors and to provide a unique view point for the vertical elements.

My third reason is that the plaque sets no precedent for further additions. Unlike the many proposals for additions to the Memorial based upon service branch or other categories, which are divisive, the "In
Memory" plaque will be unifying. Those it honors share just one thing: they gave their lives for their country because of Vietnam. As such it sets no precedent, but rather closes the book and completes the
Memorial.

My final point is this project should not be put in the hands of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Because VVMF has opposed the plaque, it would be a conflict of interest for VVMF to control the project.
Moreover, the current VVMF organization has no particular expertise in the issues related to the artistic design of the memorial. I am volunteering my extensive experience to the American Battle Monuments
Commission and the others who will carry out the project. Moreover, I will obtain the assistance of the architects and planners who worked on the memorial in 1982.

Thank you for the opportunity to be heard.

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