“Facing It,” by Yusef Komunyakaa talks about a war which most, if not all Americans are familiar with. The ever so controversial Vietnam Conflict, also known as the Vietnam War. This poem was very well written, and I respect all that was said in the context of the poem. “Facing It,” discusses his visit to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C., and his emotions that he experienced while he was at the memorial. I can not imagine what the feelings would be like to see one of my friend’s name etched in this wall, although Tomas Van Putten can. I had a personal phone interview with him on October 30th, 2002.

Tom Van Putten served nine years in the U.S. Army, two of which were spent in Vietnam. In a phone interview with Tom, I asked him if he had ever visited the monument. In fact, he did and he discussed with me how hard it was to see a dozen names of men he knew that were put on that wall. “It’s really an awesome monument; it is hard remembering what it was like coming home. I was definitely changed for life ” (Van Putten).

Most of the content Mr. Van Putten and I spoke about, alluded back to “Facing It.”

Komunyakaa really shows me that he is emotional about the monument by his visions that he sees when he is at the wall. “My black face fades / hiding inside the black granite” (1-2). Here I believe he is realizing he should be on that wall. I feel as if he may be remembering a point in time in Vietnam that he was involved in an incident that should have cost him his life. Also, these are all names. His fading face makes me think that he realizes that there were no separate races in that war. When I told Mr. Van Putten about this part of the poem, he said “Yea, you are right. We all looked the same. We were all Americans.”

“I said I wouldn’t, dammit: no tears” (3-4). How could you not cry at this scene. Hundreds, if not thousands of fellow Americans that Komunkyaa had interacted with at one point in time, or another, were just names etched on a wall. I asked Mr. Van Putten what the overall environment was like once he arrived in Vietnam. Mr. Van Putten described the environment of Vietnam as a “pretty country, really nice.” He had spent most of his time in the jungle.

Constantly being reminded that you were in the Vietnam War must make you a bit edgy. I would not know how to respond if I was put in an environment that I had never been in. The hardest part I see, is how these veterans were treated upon arrival back in the states. They were snubbed, denied jobs and disrespected for fighting for freedom.

“I’m stone, I’m flesh” (5). The stone on the wall must have felt like stone in his blood. Yusef says that he is stone. I believe he is saying he has died in the war. Maybe he did not die physically, but he lost a part of himself over there that he has not recovered. 47,378 American souls were lost on Vietnam soil (Website : Harrington). Maybe his was too. Many more died upon arrival back to the United States.

In lines 10-13, Komunyakaa loses himself in the memorial. In the following lines, he looks at 58,022 names, (half expecting) to find his own etched in the wall. I could not imagine any of my best friends’ names on a wall reflecting their service and sacrifice in a war. I like how Yusef describes his feelings as he looks at the wall. My insides would burn with anger, sadness and compassion, should I have been a veteran.

In line 17, Komunyakaa mentions the name “Andrew Johnson.” The white flash of a booby trap had come across his memory. I assume that Andrew was killed by this booby trap. The simple fact of someone being savagely killed by a hidden assassin really bugs me. It seems to be a cowardly way to kill a man. Yusef has obviously related back to scenes in the war, and I like how he is describing his emotions at the same time.

Yusef says later on, “The sky, a plane in the sky. / A white vet’s image floats closer to me, then his pale eyes / look through mine. I’m a window” (24-27). Here I imagine a plane flying over, and another soldier looking into Yusef’s eyes before the impact of a bomb. “He’s lost his right arm” (28). Losing the right arm must be the result of the plane flying over.

The part that made my heart sink was when I read the last three lines. “In the black mirror a woman’s trying to erase names: No, she’s brushing a boy’s hair.” (28-31) A woman is looking at the wall, brushing a boy’s hair, when I feel that Yusef realizes that he is still in the wall. He is a part of the memorial now. He is part of the many names that are written on the wall.

Works Cited

• “Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa page 1386 ; Madden, Frank Exploring Literature New York : SUNY Westchester Community College, 2001
• Van Putten, Tomas. Personal phone interview. 30 Oct. 2002.
• Unknown Author. Home page. Undated. 30 Oct. 2002.
• <http://harrington.esu1.org/studentweb/justinsteffin/webpage.html>