Moving at any hour, but.... As a local, I get a lot of family members coming to visit so they can see DC. When I'm planning their tours, I make sure that one of the first things we do is go on a nighttime tour of the monuments. The Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, and (espescially) the Vietnam Wall are beautifully moving any time, but at night they are especially beautiful when they are lit up after dark. Make sure you stop to take in the view from the top step of the Lincoln-- that's the view that always makes me stop and think how cool it is that I LIVE HERE!…
It puts everything in perspective.... Even though I was too young to serve during the Vietnam conflict, the Memorial is still very moving to those of us who were not in Vietnam. We've relied on the service and bravery of countless tens of thousands of our citizens to protect those things we hold dear. So when I find myself having a snit over something trivial, I often will remember the GIs I saw at the memorial, and when I do somehow my problems seem insignificant. I would encourage every American to go. If you do visit the Vietnam Memorial, be sure to visit the Korean War Memorial nearby. It is just as touching since you can "walk" alongside the soldiers.…
Eye opening. Looking at the memorial is eye opening and awe inspiring that so many of our young men and women gaves their lives for this great country.
Washington's most moving military memorial..
The Scene
Also known as "The Wall," the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the
most-visited--and most moving--sites in Washington. The once-controversial design features the names of the almost 60,000 military victims of the Vietnam War engraved into an unembellished black granite wall. Friends and relatives of the deceased can often be seen rubbing names from the wall onto paper for a memento.
What's There
Offerings left at the wall for fallen comrades--from childhood photos to military gear to packs of cigarettes--are collected and held by the Smithsonian and have been the subject of a museum exhibition and a book. Adjacent to the wall is the Korean War Memorial with its impressive life-size statues of soldiers from the "forgotten war."…
