Vietnam Memorial Brass Polishing Update

No one seems to think it's a good idea for the National Park Service to bust a couple of veterans for polishing the brass on the base of the flagpole at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, based on the comments I received on an item I wrote on Monday.

Joe Davis, spokesman for the Veterans for Foreign Wars, told me, "The VFW hopes that this was just a poor judgment call by two law enforcement officers and not the beginning of a new policy to hinder the tremendous outpouring of public support for The Wall."

Sgt. David Schlosser of the National Park Police in Washington suggested that the veterans who have been polishing the brass at the Vietnam Memorial on an ad-hoc basis join in a formal program to assist the National Park Service preservation staff in the maintenance and presentation of the Wall.

"In that capacity, they would be provided with approved products and trained in artisan suggested techniques to best preserve and protect these objects," Schlosser said in an e-mail. He emphasized, "The United States Park Police is always supportive of our active duty and veteran service members. In fact, a large percentage of our force comes from military ranks."

Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, told me that NPS should "train their staff about volunteer opportunities so our veterans and the public feel encouraged to volunteer. . . . Many veterans and family members believe it is an honor to maintain these historical monuments."

Of course, the brass polishing vets are volunteers, they are just not in a volunteer system. "Military folks tend to do what's needed when it's needed without waiting for a decision derived by committee," Davis of the VFW said.

Evidently the rub with the ad-hoc polishing effort is the fact that the vets are using Brasso in their shining mission to honor their fallen comrades. I hear that the Park Service plans to allow the ad hoc shining to continue, but with Carnauba wax, which is used to polish cars.

Craig Burnett, a chemist with Mother's Polish company said the wax would help, but only after the brass at the base of the flagpole was shined first.

Burnett suggested that the National Park Service in Washington allow the ad-hoc shining team to use his company's Billett metal polish, used in the past by the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Hawaii to polish its brass, as well as the Wyland Galleries, also in Hawaii, to polish brass sculptures.

Burnett said any polish will remove microns of brass any time it is used, but added that polishing will not reduce solid brass to the stage it needs to be replaced "in my lifetime."

I have a feeling the park service is trying to do the right thing, but maybe they should talk to Burnett or another chemist to make sure they select the right polishing stuff. Burnett is an affable guy, and I'm sure he would be delighted to share his knowledge with the park service.