Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00408:front:0:p301
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He was aware of the importance of the dedication for 'grieving families' becoming a 'focus for their grief', and is even more important for the families of servicemen missing in action or those buried in the United National War Cemetery in Pusan, Korea.  A change to the memorial has seen two Korean plants – a box and a fir tree – used to edge the memorial space, making a direct link to Korea, 'for the grieving families some of whom may never be able to go to Korea to see the memorial for their loved one'.

The dedication of the Vietnam memorial, and the return of the remains of several men missing in action were intensely moving ceremonies, bringing a sense of pride and 'of being at one with all those gathered'.  Speaking about the tenth anniversary of the dedication, Pete Ryan spoke of the 8,000 Vietnam veterans who showed up, with about 2,000 who had come 'out of the closet' for the first time,

    'When you see those people at our memorial you get to understand what people who have lost loved ones... actually see and feel'  (Focus Group 2)

Valuing the memorials of others
Does the armed services community value and feel a connection to memorials associated with other parts of the service, or conflicts of which they were not a part?  Pat Johnson offers a delightful insight in her account of the official dedication ceremony of the Australian Service Nurses National Memorial,

    'Just as proceedings were to commence, there was a "vroom" and "roar" of motorcycle engines on the other side of Anzac Parade.  We all turned and saw a large contingent of the "Vietnam Bikies" from all over Australia parking their motorbikes on the grass before coming over to watch the proceedings.  There they were, in their leather jackets, emblazoned with a skull and slouch hat atop.  I could not help but be moved when chatting to a group of them afterwards, one of them said to me "we come every two years to rededicate the Vietnam War Memorial and we decided to coincide the visit with the dedication of the Nurses' Memorial".  Continuing, he said "we wanted to be a presence but it is the nurses' day".  I asked this group of somewhat burly men what they thought of the Memorial and the reply astounded me.  "It is beautiful, calm and gentle, so different to the other masculine memorials."  With that, they all went off to their special memorial.'  ('Una Voce', 4 December 1999)

Similarly, the focus group discussions reinforced the value of all of the memorials, while recognising that particular memorials have specific significance to those who are closely connected with what it memorialises.