Last weekend I visited he Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The wall honors U.S. service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, those who died in service, and those members who were unaccounted for during the war. The memorial consists of three parts: the Three soldiers statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, but it is the wall of names that resonates with me. Its magnitude and its simplicity leave little to be said.
The Vietnam War was one of the longest and most controversial wars in U.S. history. For this reason, the goal of the memorial fund was to avoid commentary and to serve solely as a memorial to those who served.
Perhaps it strikes me because of how many peoples' names are on that wall or the hundreds of people that go to visit each day. Maybe the architect was just a genius. But, I can't help wonder if it really hits me because one day there may be a similar wall with names I actually know and people I actually spent time with to commemorate our soldiers fighting a war on terror.
I used the directory to look up Titus's. There were several; 3 were from Ohio. Then I found their names and stood in silence for a few brief moments. There was nothing more to say.
On my way home I had to cheer myself up with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle popsicle, but it was a site I had to see.
lt
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