"It's a betrayal of the Americans who are still missing and their families,'' said Larry Bice, a Vietnam War veteran who represents the Last Firebase, a group of families of veterans who were never accounted for after the war.
While Bice and some veterans visiting the memorial expressed bitterness over the president's announcement, others who had served in Vietnam or lost loved ones in the conflict agreed that the time had come to patch up relations with the old enemy.
Two sisters, Thelma Sweet and Mildred Badgley, sobbed at the sight of their brother's name, one of the tens of thousands etched into the black marble wall.
They spoke vividly of the despair they felt 27 years ago when their 20-year-old brother, Dale Badgley, slowly bled to death from two bullet wounds above his heart in a place called the Plain of Reeds.
Yet, they said, they are ready now to treat Vietnam like any other nation.
"All of these men and women are remembered and mourned but that does not mean that all these years later we shouldn't renew our relations with Vietnam. [Normalizing] relations doesn't mean that we don't still feel a terrible loss. But it's time for life to go on,'' said Sweet, 40, a police dispatcher from Coldwater, Michigan, who sat with her sister for a long time at the wall in front of their brother's name, talking and crying.
The Vietnam Memorial, constructed in 1982, draws more than 2 million visitors annually. Many use paper and crayons to trace the names of loved ones who died, talk about the people they once knew and leave behind flowers and notes.
On Tuesday, the discussions at times touched on the United States' relations now with Vietnam.
The divergent views expressed by the wall's visitors echoed the polarity of politicians' opinions on the issue.
While some people agreed with the president, others argued ardently that America has no business opening relations with the Communist nation that has failed to account for the Americans who fought in the war.
"The Vietnamese have fought us tooth-and-nail about the missing-in-action issue,'' said Jim Gourley, 44, a restaurant manager who traveled from Nashville, Tennessee, with his two sons to visit the sites in Washington.
"I don't really think [Clinton] should have done it until there was some kind of public apology or big gesture on the part of the Vietnamese. They haven't done anything to say they want to be our friends.''
But Jim Vieland, who was looking for the names of some of the men he fought with in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967, said he hopes Hanoi will respond to the extension of diplomatic relations by resolving more of the missing-in-action cases.
"It all should come together now,'' said Vieland.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.