The cast of Miss Saigon High School Edition participated in the monthly washing of the Vietnam memorial in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Nov. 7.
“We asked Bill Smart, the person who started the event, if we could partake in the washing of the Vietnam monuments walls,” Choral Music teacher Carlos Barillo said. “It is a solemn and thought-provoking process. The trip affected [the students] deeper than they initially expected and it allowed them to feel the direct perils of the war.”
According to Barillo, the purpose of enriching the cast in various Vietnam awareness activities is so that they can identify with Miss Saigon.
Washing the memorial had an especially meaningful experience on one student in the production.
“I actually found a member of my family, Thomas Francis Regan on the wall,” senior cast member Liam Regan said. “I didn’t really think that I would find anyone I knew or was even related to.”
The washing of the monuments occurs on the first Saturday of each month. To many, it is an awakening experience for those who want to pay homage to those who valiantly fought in the war.
