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American Morning

Memorial Day: Remembrance at Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall

Aired May 28, 2001 - 11:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Our Bruce Morton is standing by at the Vietnam War Memorial -- Bruce.

BRUCE MORTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, this is, as you can see, at least as I hope that you can see, the Vietnam Memorial Wall. People come here all of the time; Memorial Day is special, I guess. But people come here constantly. It's an amazing place for healing, for all kinds of things that I think none of us expected when it was dedicated, back in 1982.

I'm here today with a man who knows a lot about this. Ronald Worstola (ph) is a Vietnam veteran.

But you're also a volunteer. You've spent time down here.

Ron, talk a little bit about this place, if you would.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a special place. A place where people come to grieve and to remember their friends and their families. We call it "Wall magic." There's always something going that is very unique and special to this place.

MORTON: People leave things here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They leave a lot of artifacts, which are picked up every night. But it's a part of the connection of the veteran with the fallen brother or the sister that he served with.

MORTON: What goes through your mind? I mean, you spend a lot of time here. You have you friends on that wall, I'm sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a privilege for me to be able to give back to my fallen brothers and sisters, to their families and friends that come them and visit them, to assist them: to help them find the names, to make the rubbings of the names, to touch their names.

MORTON: What's the magic in touching the names? You see that every time that you come here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's being able to connect with that veteran. When the veterans came home, they were buried at their local cemeteries, and most of the fellows who served with them have no idea where that is. But this is a place they can come where they can touch with that person and be connected to that person. MORTON: Ronald Worstola (ph), Daryn, the people here on Memorial Day, as there are people here every day.

KAGAN: Bruce Morton at the Vietnam War Memorial, thank you for being with us this morning. We appreciate your coverage from there.

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