The Collective American Memory

Human memories return in nonlinear and sporadic chunks. We revive facts, events, and impressions, sometimes slowly and other times all at once. American culture dictates how citizens should collectively respond to memory, even those only really remembered by few. There are acceptable behaviors that society requires of people in the face of certain tragic events. 

After a great war, the returning veterans are the only people who can truly remember the battlefield; the sound of gunfire, the smell of blood, the sight of dying men. American citizens participate in moments of silence, visit memorials and pray for soldiers they may never have known. Anything less would be considered disrespectful to the lives of the lost. The simple knowledge that horrible things took place is not what inspires people to respond in such a way. Instead it is the feelings that stories and carefully designed monuments instill. The power of nostalgia, the wistful desire to return that which is now lost, is the only reason these people can be moved by memories that they did not experience. 

Nostalgia creates the sense of complete and utter loss. Stories and war memorials create this collective American nostalgia; a loss can be felt by all. America is united in their sadness not by a real memory, but by this feeling. Memorials without attached emotion would be insubstantial to create this effect.

In Postcards from the Trenches, Allyson Booth explores the purpose of war memorials, "These artifacts moved toward closing one of the most important gaps separating the experience of soldiers and citizens." 

The gap between veterans and citizens is memory, and the ability to truly recall what transpired. Memorials and stories instill feelings in their viewers and listeners, not only respecting the lost but helping to unite the returned soldiers by making them feel less alienated. Through memorials and emotions like nostalgia, people can be made to feel and understand.