Just to the northeast of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Inscribed upon the black granite panels are more than 58,000 names, the butcher's bill of Vietnam in Optima typeface.
My dad's brother served in Vietnam, so I always try to visit the memorial when I'm in DC. He survived so his name isn't on the wall but it's still good to visit.
Stark, silent, solemn. Tourists gawking and aging men lost in memories.
Even in the heat of summer it can give you a bit of a chill.
