Children climbing on the Vietnam Women’s Memorial. Is this disrespect or innocent fun?

Capt Brandon Charters — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 20:41:54 -0400

This photo snapped today of children using the The Vietnam Women’s Memorial as a playground fixture has gone viral after Matthew Munson posted it online. It's sparking quite a debate. I find it hard not to get a little fired up about this and believe it has a lot to do with the parents not explaining the proper etiquette & behavior to have around a war memorial.

What's your reaction?

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 25 at 2015 8:46 PM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 20:46:03 -0400

I think it's both. It's innocent because kids don't know any better, but disrespectful because the parents don't teach them respect

Response by SSG Robert Burns made Mar 25 at 2015 9:47 PM

SSG Robert Burns — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 21:47:46 -0400

I fault the parents 100% and the children zero. Respect for these things must be instilled in our children and their lack of respect is evidence of their parents not having any. The picture of the vet in the wheelchair says it all.

Response by CPL Jesse Vasconcelos made Mar 25 at 2015 9:53 PM

CPL Jesse Vasconcelos — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 21:53:04 -0400

Hands down I would lose it. Can't say more.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Mar 25 at 2015 10:29 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 22:29:15 -0400

I'm with SSG Robert Burns 100% on this one. Kids are going to be kids and climb the un-climbable and break the un-breakable..... almost like that little booger picker who burned the Purple Heart medals.

(Un)Parenting 101 danger sign: Children disrespecting memorials can be hazardous to parent's health.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 25 at 2015 11:15 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 23:15:31 -0400

I don't fault the children at all. They are kids being kids. I climbed on anything I could find a handhold on. I like it when I see kids outside doing physical activity rather than just sitting in front of the TV or on their smartphones. Most importantly, I think they are too young to understand the significance of the memorial and their actions.

If I was the parent, that activity would end, at least at that location. It wouldn't just be immediate punishment, though. They would need to be taught why it is important to respect that particular location.

Also, I've seen memorials that had graffiti on them. That is the action of someone that knows what they are doing and intentionally defaces something of value. This is harmless fun from kids that are in need of a history lesson.

Response by SrA Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2015 12:29 AM

SrA Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 00:29:13 -0400

Soooo disrepectful!!

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2015 3:17 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 03:17:37 -0400

I love the look on the WW II Veterans face and the guy pushing him. I imagine him saying something like " Your daddy should be neutered so he doesn't further contaminate the world"

Can't blame the kids, they don't know any better...and that's the problem.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2015 3:25 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 03:25:20 -0400

Exactly Sir! Outrageous and the old veteran seems none too pleased.

Response by Capt Richard I P. made Mar 26 at 2015 8:31 AM

Capt Richard I P. — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 08:31:46 -0400

I'd say a civic duty punishment to the parents is in order. Mandatory community service at a VA inpatient facility seems good. Push a broom or a mop, talk to vets.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2015 8:45 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 08:45:38 -0400

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2015 8:59 AM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 08:59:26 -0400

Children by themselves don't possess the wisdom to understand disrespect. A parent, on the other hand, should have the presence of mind to use this as a teaching moment.

If the parent(s) is/are allowing this, then the parent(s) is/are disrespectful cur(s) and they are deepening the decline of the country.

Response by SGT Bryon Sergent made Mar 26 at 2015 9:14 AM

SGT Bryon Sergent — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 09:14:32 -0400

First off I blame the parents, this is appalling. I don't think that the children of this nation should be CRAWLING on any statue. If is at the Zoo and its a turtle fine. This is not a PLAY GROUND. I can remember when the police patrolled this areas and would chastise the parents for this.

Response by SFC Collin McMillion made Mar 26 at 2015 9:31 AM

SFC Collin McMillion — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 09:31:50 -0400

Children may not know or have been taught the true meaning of what these symbols stand for, but having a nice private chat with their parents behind the bushes might help the learn.

Response by SSgt Ez Taylor made Mar 26 at 2015 9:34 AM

SSgt Ez Taylor — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 09:34:29 -0400

As the parent, MY children would not be allowed to climb this important memorial. The children are innocent, and do not understand the cherished value, but as a parent i would explain, teach, and instill is meaning.

There would be no way in hades my children would be allowed to disrespect the symbolism of the souls that are held within its facade. My children, my responsibility to teach then respect.

Adding that I'd decide whether to request that the parents kindly remove their children, and if they got belligerent I'd find a curator, or enforcement to ask them in a more, "encouraging"manner. There's no room for this...

Response by CW3 Craig Linghor made Mar 26 at 2015 9:44 AM

CW3 Craig Linghor — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 09:44:49 -0400

Parents should use this as an opportunity to teach their child how important it is to respect our fallen veterans. It is the same with our holiday i.e. Memorial Day, Independence Day or Veterans Day are not just days to go shopping at the mall. Is there No thought of reflection what so ever?

Response by CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2015 10:10 AM

CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 10:10:14 -0400

My reaction is exactly that of the man on the right pushing that Veteran in the wheelchair. Aghast.

The children do not know any better, but the parents do/should. I would hope that a visit there would serve as a teaching experience not a Gymboree session.

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Mar 26 at 2015 11:45 AM

SCPO David Lockwood — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 11:45:02 -0400

I believe this is disrespect and the parents are to blame for letting this happen. Memorials are to honor those who have served especially those you gave everything. To let you child or children to climb on them is completely unsat. Why aren't these parents teaching these kids why they are there and why we should respect them. I'll tell you why.........because they are idiots and they have no idea why they are there themselves. Hold the parents accountable for their childrens actions.

Response by MAJ Chris Ballard made Mar 26 at 2015 11:47 AM

MAJ Chris Ballard — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 11:47:25 -0400

I agree with all the posters who fault the parents not the kids, but I would caution one thing: we don't know from the snapshot how long this went on. For all we know, the parents turned around, found the kids doing this and jerked them out of their shoes. Or they may have let it go on for half an hour. We can't tell from a picture.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2015 3:08 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 15:08:01 -0400

Extremely disrespectful! Parents should be ashamed.

Response by SGT Tyler G. made Mar 26 at 2015 3:14 PM

SGT Tyler G. — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 15:14:29 -0400

Both. It is indeed disrespectful to those who the monument is honoring. But they're kids, who probably don't know any better, being kids and having fun. Nothing to get in a tizzy about, let the parents parent, and carry on. Perhaps if the parents were encouraging the behavior, that would be something to get upset over.

Response by Maj Chris Nelson made Mar 26 at 2015 3:36 PM

Maj Chris Nelson — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 15:36:24 -0400

I am going to partly agree, and partly play devil's advocate;
1. Kids are 100% NOT at fault, kids are doing what kids do best....in fact I am HAPPY to see kids that KNOW HOW to play outside....
2. BAD parents.... need to help their children understand respect for monuments and prevent this from happening.
3. (Devil's advocate time) Bad PLANNING. I myself have never been to Washington DC (my bad...), but I always see photos of monuments, special places of remembrance, Museums, White House, Congress.....blah blah blah.... people take vacations there, kids are part of the family right?? So they go also. Exactly HOW MANY Memorials, Monuments, Places of remembrance, White House, Congress, etc can you expect a child to visit AND maintain a respectful attitude? Is there a PARK? Playground? ANYPLACE for kids to run off their stink besides the monuments et. al.??

One of a couple things needs to happen... BUILD the kids a place to exercise their rights to be kids without pissing off the 'old farts' that want to remember or revere these places, OR all the 'old farts' need to become a bit more forgiving and allow kids to be kids and ENJOY the monuments in THEIR style.... only other option I see is letting them play in traffic on Pennsylvania Blvd.

Another thought: Let's extend this out away from Washington DC.... Parks that have a Tank or Field Artillery piece.... are these not also Memorials in most cases? How many of us have played on them....holding back the hoards of bad guys? I know I did!! Everyone of us needs to hold our head down in shame for playing on these or allowing our kids to play on them.... they all have some type of plaque on/around them.....

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2015 6:55 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 18:55:30 -0400

I find it to be very disrespectful. However, I put the blame on the parents because it's their ultimate responsibility to teach their children the difference between right (respectful) and wrong (disrespectful).

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 27 at 2015 2:54 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 02:54:58 -0400

I blame the parents 98.85% give or take.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 27 at 2015 3:24 AM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 03:24:50 -0400

I think they should chain the memorial off and put 'do not climb' signs for ignorant parents such as these. Also they should add a plaque of some sort to this memorial that describes its tribute.

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 27 at 2015 7:58 AM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 07:58:30 -0400

It is both, the children do not understand the significance of the memorial and the adults should be the ones keeping them off of it. They should rope it off and add a do not climb sign.

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Mar 29 at 2015 6:49 PM

CSM Michael J. Uhlig — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 18:49:13 -0400

I am disgusted at the ignorance of the parents, as is the Veteran being wheeled in the chair.

Take those kids to a playground if they want to play on the monkey bars, this memorial is not a dang jungle gym - this is another insult to all our Vietnam Veterans!

Response by SPC Donald Tribble made Mar 29 at 2015 6:51 PM

SPC Donald Tribble — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 18:51:12 -0400

Unsupervised children, total parenting fail. Yes it's disrespectful, but the kids wouldn't know that until someone, their parents wherever they are, teaches them.

Response by SPC David Shaffer made Mar 29 at 2015 9:08 PM

SPC David Shaffer — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 21:08:00 -0400

They are just uneducated children that truly know no better. If I were their parent I would feel like an A-hole. It is the parents job to raise them better, but I would put more blame on the person for taking a picture instead of explaining to these children that what they were doing was wrong.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 29 at 2015 9:44 PM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 21:44:43 -0400

For the kids it is innocent. The parents who let them do it are idiots

Response by SPC Edward Tapper made Mar 29 at 2015 9:50 PM

SPC Edward Tapper — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 21:50:06 -0400

Let me say first, I am a preacher. Now, that is out of the way, I would have whipped my kids' a$$ if the thought of doing something like that even crossed their minds. They both learned by the age of three what respect for our war dead is. They also learned a game I taught them at a very young age, called word association. I would say, "I'm going to whip that a$$!", and they would say, " Okkay, I'm sorry! Please don't whip me! I won't do it anymore!" My, how quickly children learn things if parents spend a portion of their time teaching, instructing and and shaping their children to be the leaders of tomorrow instead of the next generation of inmates.

Response by 1LT William Clardy made Mar 29 at 2015 11:19 PM

1LT William Clardy — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 23:19:26 -0400

Just to add a little context to the discussion (without letting these children's parents off the hook in the least), the Albert Einstein memorial is just across Constitution Avenue from the Vietnam War Memorial.

If you want to give some rug-rats an opportunity to burn off some statue-climbing energy, Albert's lap was made plenty big enough to accommodate lots of little ones without any need to step on a wounded soldier.

Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 29 at 2015 11:42 PM

Maj Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 23:42:09 -0400

I've been to this memorial and I can't describe how awful this is.... My reaction would be to educate the kids and adults that are present.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Mar 30 at 2015 12:33 AM

COL Charles Williams — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 00:33:14 -0400

Both. Innocent fun by them, but their parents were there to tell them what right looks like.

Response by SPC Angel Guma made Apr 1 at 2015 5:47 PM

SPC Angel Guma — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 17:47:36 -0400

What would the female vietnam veterans that paid a high price for that memorial think? Their opinion above mine matters most.

But my opinion- get those kids off that memorial. They wouldn't tolerate it at any other memorial or the over at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. So hold the same standard here.

Response by CW4 Larry Curtis made Apr 14 at 2015 9:10 PM

CW4 Larry Curtis — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 21:10:32 -0400

When it comes to the conduct of children it is more a case of a lack of proper parental supervision and mentoring. My own kids knew that if I ever saw them do something like this that there would be hell to pay, but unfortunately (perhaps) not everyone instills this kind of expectation into their children.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 28 at 2015 11:40 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 23:40:55 -0400

I think it depends on the age of the kids: if you have a toddler playing around, ok- it's a toddler and the child is still learning. At about 4, maybe 5- I think the kid is big enough that the parent can talk to them and explain the significance

Response by SPC Michael Frugoli made Apr 28 at 2015 11:50 PM

SPC Michael Frugoli — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 23:50:05 -0400

I would agree its both. innocent fun, but then lack of parenting.. they think the world revolves around them.. id drag my kid off that memorial.

Response by SSgt Thomas L. made Apr 29 at 2015 2:43 AM

SSgt Thomas L. — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 02:43:53 -0400

I'm not inclined to outrage about much until I have the full picture. I think the photo could be out of context. Was it taken by the parents, or by a bystander? If it was taken by the parents, thinking it was somehow cute or entertaining, then shame on them. Why take the time to visit these memorials if you're not going to show them the proper respect?

If it was taken by a bystander, maybe the parents had their backs turned for five seconds (as a father of 4, I know how quick things can happen) and immediately after this was taken, they realized what was going on and corrected the kids.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 29 at 2015 8:37 AM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 08:37:50 -0400

I think it's definitely disrespectful. It is 100% the parent's responsibility to teach their children the correct way to conduct themselves.

Last year my wife and I took our 4 children (ages 11, 9, 7, and 1 at the time) to Arlington. Before we even got out of the vehicle we discussed with them the level of respect and behavior required at a place like that. We spent 4 hours there and they did not run, climb on anything, or even raise their voice a single time. They conducted themselves accordingly, because we as parents too the time to educate them. They were even mad at the terrible behavior of not only other children there, but of adults also.

I feel people these days just have no respect for anything, military or otherwise. It's sad, really. People are so wrapped up in themselves, they just don't care about anyone, or anything else. The only way to fix that trend is for parents to, well, be parents, and teach their children these things.

Response by SPC Margaret Higgins made Jun 22 at 2015 9:02 PM

SPC Margaret Higgins — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 21:02:03 -0400

Innocent fun. They're Kids.

Response by PO2 Neil Gilligan made Jul 25 at 2015 12:51 AM

PO2 Neil Gilligan — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 00:51:19 -0400

These children need to be informed by their parents or guardian that this is a memorial and that is represents women who have fallen in war. HOWEVER, the parents probably do not know better themselves. If I were there, I would have called them out on this.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 1 at 2015 10:02 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 22:02:33 -0400

Both. Parents should have known better

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made May 1 at 2019 11:49 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 May 2019 11:49:05 -0400

Two sides.

My gut reaction is to ask the kids to get off, then introduce them to the veteran right there, teachable moment that the kids don't get. That (should) get parental attention, and we can have another "teachable moment".

That said, being a teacher, the first time I was on the 8th grade field trip to DC, I managed to get the kids to shut up at the Tomb of the Unknown. But, one student (13, 14 years old), who's father is in the National Guard, played around the Pentagon 9/11 memorial, got sat down real quick by me with a stern talking to, also got a polite teaching moment by another visitor (who had lost a loved one in the Pentagon on 9/11), and not 40 mins later was leap-frogging over the stantions at the Air Force Memorial.

So, I blame the parents...with reservations. If they're in motion to yank the kids off, yeah I understand ya. If they're doing nothing about it, that's a significant difference.