Vietnam Veterans Memorial(越战纪念碑)

By Freelance Chinese Translator Li – English to Chinese translation or Chinese to English translation services - based in Harbin，China.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial in Washington, D.C. It honors members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War and who died in service（英勇殉职）. Its construction and related issues have been the source of controversies（争议）, some of which have resulted in additions to the memorial complex. The memorial currently consists of three separate parts: the Three Soldiers statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, which is the best-known part of the memorial.
The memorial was inspired by Jan Scruggs, an infantryman（步兵） who served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army's 199th Light Infantry Brigade（轻步兵旅）. In March 1979, he saw The Deer Hunter（一部电影）, which reminded him "of the people he'd seen suffer and die in Vietnam". That night he decided to build a memorial with the names of everyone killed in the Vietnam War.
The main part of the memorial, which was completed in 1982, is in Constitution Gardens adjacent to the National Mall, just northeast of the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial is maintained by the U.S. National Park Service（国家公园管理局）, and receives around 3 million visitors each year. The Memorial Wall was designed by U.S. landscape architect（景观设计师） Maya Lin. In 2007, it was ranked tenth on the "List of America's Favorite Architecture" by the American Institute of Architects.


美国首都华盛顿的越战纪念碑（Vietnam Veterans Memorial）是为了纪念越战时期英勇牺牲的美国战士。闪闪生辉的黑色大理石墙上，按照战士们慷慨赴义的时间先后列出名单。自从1982年“老兵纪念日”那天起，越战纪念碑就成了华盛顿特区最受游人喜欢的去处之一。纪念碑长500英尺，整体呈V字型，在华盛顿纪念碑和林肯纪念堂之间形成一道独特的风景线。上面镌刻着57,000多名1959年至1975年之间在越南阵亡将士的名字。越战老兵纪念碑已经成为普通美国人寄托哀思的地方。
尽管这座纪念碑建在联邦土地上，但其建设资金全部由私人捐助。当时，全美共提交了1,400份设计方案，耶鲁大学21岁的建筑专业学生玛雅•林的设计方案脱颖而出。虽然这个设计在当年一度引发争议，但今天在人们心目中该纪念碑已成为衡量其它纪念碑的评价标准之一。越战纪念碑是AIA名单中女性设计师排名最前的作品，也是2007年AIA “二十五年大奖”得主，该奖项用于表彰在25~35年前设计建造的杰出建筑物。