“Above and Beyond” Honoring America’s Heroes!

Honoring America’s Heroes

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“Above and Beyond” now at NEW LOCATIONWhen visitors first enter the museum, they will hear a sound like wind chimes coming from above them and their attention will be drawn upward 24 feet to the ceiling of the two-story high atrium.Dog tags of the more than 58,000 service men and women who died in the Vietnam War hang from the ceiling of the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museumin Chicago on …

Veterans Day, November 11, 2010. The 10-by-40-foot sculpture, entitled Above & Beyond, was designed by Ned Broderick and Richard Steinbock. The tens of thousands of metal dog tags are suspended 24 feet in the air, 1 inch apart, from fine lines that allow them to move and chime with shifting air currents. Museum employees using a kiosk and laser pointer help visitors locate the exact dog tag with the imprinted name of their lost friend or relative.http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/the-daily-need/photo-above-and-beyond/5060/We will open at our new location on November 11, 2012:
4041 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60641
http://www.nvam.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=218&Itemid=54“Above and Beyond” became a permanent feature at the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, May 26, 2001. Richard Steinbock and Ned Broderick developed the idea to create a piece that would commemorate all the men and women who died in the Vietnam War. Their goal was to make people comprehend how many lives were lost, all the “wasted potential,” and all the people who were affected by the loss. They struggled with finding a way to include all the names of the soldiers in the artwork. The only other memorial with all the names listed is the Vietnam Wall in Washington D.C.Although they had many ideas, not one idea seemed appropriate. Then one day Richard noticed Ned’s dog tags on his desk and that was when he knew what to create. They would make a dog tag for every soldier and include the name, date when killed, and branch of service. Ned created the design and the tags would be arranged as if they were soldiers standing in formation, shoulder to shoulder. The sculpture would start with the dog tags of the first person killed and end with the dog tags of the last person killed. There would also be space reserved for veterans who would die later from diseases or injuries resulting from the war.

Richard created a model and the fund-raising began. Although many people contributed their time and energy, Richard and Ned needed cash. They offered to make dog tags, like the ones being used in their sculpture for anyone who wanted one, at $25 per dog tags. Richard typed out the dog tags, working 12 hours a day, seven days a week and holidays. Ned, along with some friends who had served with him, helped to hang all the tags. Emotions ran high when hanging the tags of people they knew. Finally, after two years, the sculpture was complete. “Above and Beyond” debuted in the atrium of the museum on May 26, 2001 to coincide with the city’s Memorial Day Parade. The reactions have been positive and people from all over the country and the world have come to see it.
http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/things_see_do/attractions/tourism/above_and_beyond.html

We will open at our new location on November 11, 2012:
4041 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60641

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— with Sally Rhodes.