Greenwich RMA Presents Robert Doubek: “Creating the Vietnam Veterans Memorial – The Inside Story”

The Retired Men’s Association speaker this week is Robert Robert Doubek,Co-founder and Executive Director of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, on his book: “Creating the Vietnam Veterans Memorial: The Inside Story.”

The presentation is Wednesday, March 22 at 11:00am, in person at First Presbyterian Church, 37 Lafayette Place, Greenwich.

You can also view the presentation on ZOOM.   CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PRESENTATION ON ZOOM

Since its dedication in 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has become an American cultural icon symbolizing the war in Vietnam. The black granite wall of names is one of the most familiar images associated with the war. Today the memorial remains one of the nation’s most visited monuments. While the memorial has enjoyed broad acceptance by the American public, its origins were both humble and contentious.

Robert Doubek will discuss the creation of the memorial as told in his memoir, Creating the Vietnam Veterans Memorial – The Inside Story. It was a grassroots effort launched by veterans with no funds and sparked an emotional debate about aesthetics and the interpretation of heroism, patriotism and history that nearly doomed the project.

Doubek’s account tells the complete story of the memorial’s creation amid Washington politics, a nationwide design competition and the heated controversy over the winning design and its creator.

Doubek grew up in an American family with Czech roots. They were bakers and confectioners for three generations, including his. In 1962, he enrolled at the University of Illinois, studying Political Science, German, and Russian. Soon after graduating from the University, Robert was commissioned in the Air Force. He served as an intelligence officer in Vietnam, focusing on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, among other projects.After his service, heearned a law degree at Georgetown University.

In 1979 Doubekco-founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and served as its Executive Director and Project Director until completing the memorial in mid-1983. Presently, as an employee of the U.S. State Department, Robert travels worldwide to purchase land for construction of new U.S. embassy and consulate compounds. He lives in Washington, D.C.