I recently got the postcard below from a friend visiting Washington, D.C.
I really like this postcard as not only is it of the most powerful monument I’ve ever encountered, but it is also a favoured genre of postcard. Postcards with information on them, such as this one, were one my favourite genres when I started collecting as a kid.
There are three types of text-heavy postcards. This type I’m calling “Did You Knows” as this title is often used on ones that contain factual information. The second type, I call Legend Of postcards as they recall a fable, myth, or legendary tale. The final one is recipes.
Here is the text of the front;
“Did you know?
* Descending into the earth before rising again, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial bears the names of the more than 58,000 Americans who died or remain missing in the Vietnam War.
* Currently there are 58,261 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. The number of names on the wall can change every Memorial Day if the Department of Veterans Affairs receives additional information.
* The Memorial was completed November 1, 1982 and become an national monument November 11, 1984
* Student designer Maya Ying Lin who won the design competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial explained her entry: ‘ Take a knife and cut open the earth, and with time the grass will heal it.'”
The reverse side of the postcard has even more factual information on it:
Postcard caption:
“Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington DC
The memorial honors the men and women of the Armed Forces of the Untied States who served in the Vietnam War. The names of those who gave their lives and those whoe remain missing are inscribed chronologically by date of casualty. Our nations honors the courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty and country of its Vietnam Veterans. This memorial was built with private contributions from the American people.”
Postcard message:
“Dear Glen., Thank you for your lovely Christmas card and postal from Florida. I’m glad you can ride roller coasters with [your daughter]. I hope you received my card from England. I am in Washington for a week with friends. The city is as beautiful as it is dysfunctional! I will spend Christmas with my nephew. Best wishes for 2015.”
Another great thing about this postcard is the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer postal mark.