monument | setiawanphoto

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is located at the National Mall area in Washington, DC, near the Lincoln Memorial. This memorial was created to remember the US armed forces service members who died in Vietnam/Southeast Asia and those who were Missing in Action during the War. The memorial was designed by architect Maya Lin, who won the design competition as a 21-year old Yale University student. The design was a source of controversy given its unconventional design. But over the time, people came to appreciate the beauty of its simplicity and emotional power of seeing the wall with names of those perished and missing.

I think the most moving part of this memorial is not only seeing the list of names of soldiers who perished during the War, but often times observing visitors coming to visit to look for a specific name of someone they know, and also seeing pictures, notes, letters, and other item left at the wall to remember someone.

The photo below was taken during a visit one weekend last summer. There were many people there, including a group of veterans, some in wheelchairs, coming to visit the memorial. There were also groups of young students who only learned about the Vietnam War from history books. As I saw one of the wall panels closely, I saw a reflection of the other side of the wall with visitors observing the wall, the Washington Monument and blue sky in the background, and an older gentleman observing the wall on the left corner, and the names etched on the wall. It made for a unique perspective to capture a scenery at this memorial.

The Gateway Arch in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, is another very recognizable landmark in the United States. The Gateway Arch was built as part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park, which was established to commemorate Thomas Jefferson’s role in the Louisiana Purchase, which cleared the way for Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the western part of what is now the United States. The Gateway Arch was designed by architect Eero Saarinen, who was also known for his design work on the Main Terminal at the Washington-Dulles International Airport, not far from where I live in Washington, DC, area.

I visited the Gateway Arch briefly during my coast-to-coast road trip with my brother tracing the historic Route 66 through St. Louis. We only visited the grounds of the Gateway Arch since we were under tight schedule for our trip. One activity that you could do if you visit the Gateway Arch with some time to spare is to take the elevator up inside the Arch. You can also visit the Museum of Westward Expansion to learn more about the history of land exploration in the Old West.

The photo below was taken from the grounds near the base of the Arch. Because of the size of the Arch, I had to take the photo in an angle to capture the whole Arch within the frame.