To me, the most moving part of visiting the Viet Nam memorial is watching (and trying not to intrude) on the other visitors. Veterans paying tribute to their buddies who did not come home; grandchildren being introduced to grandpa who was a POW and then eventually declared dead. It just brings the history right back home and is really gut-wrenching. The war protests meant that many Vets came home to great hostility…
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Me too! I saw it when it first debuted.
I loved it so much that as a teen, when we took visitors to DC (which happened often as we lived nearby) I always volunteered to stand in the (long) line to get us all tickets so they wouldn’t miss out on it!
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Lot of free museums opportunities in DC too. Do check websites as often tickets are recommended ahead of time.
A brewery tour could also be fun!
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My husband did an Honor Flight to the memorial with his father last year. Incredibly moving for both of them and very cathartic for my FIL.
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This makes me cry. Thank you for posting.
I have been to DC dozens of times, and to various memorials there dozens of times, but the presence of so many Veterans at the Viet Nam memorial is heartbreaking. I found the new WW2 memorial a little off-putting (architecturally, the site, the approach) but the Maya Lin memorial is one for the ages. The last time I was there- quite coincidentally- there was a Civil War re-enactment event taking place in front of the Lincoln memorial. It was such a spectacle- the costumes, the music, some very stirring speeches.
And then the Viet Nam site- deathly quiet as people approach to find the names they are looking for.
And thanks to your FIL for his service-- profound gratitude.
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There is a great back story…
Excerpt
“I just wanted to be honest with people,” Lin told The Washington Post. “I didn’t want to make something that said ‘They’ve gone away for a while.’ I wanted something that would just simply say ‘They can never come back. They should be remembered.’”
The jury, which judged the entries blind, agreed. (Meanwhile, Lin only got a B on her assignment; she ended up beating out her professor in the competition.) But Lin’s bleak concept didn’t sit well with many members of the public, who expected a more imposing, complex and grandiose monument with marble, columns and statues in the vein of other buildings on the Mall, like the Lincoln or Jefferson Memorials.
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Re Maya Lin, I mentioned membership to Storm King upthread:
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A friend spent her last year in the coast guard in DC serving as host for the honor flight visitors. It was her favorite assignment while in the coast guard.
There is so much in DC for everyone. Art museum, science, crime, history. The government buildings (Supreme court was my favorite), the train station, the old post office. There is no way to see it all, but five adults can cover a lot of ground in a weekend. And in January the Pandas are BACK.
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another vote for DC – I am easily spooked by mass transit and even I find the Metro super simple to use. There are nice places to stay right on Metro lines, pretty much any direction you might choose.
We are fans of the Renwick, and the Natl Museum of the American Indian. The Natural Hist Museum is always jam packed and not my favorite, but the great thing about DC is you can change your mind and visit something else that is unticketed, depending on weather and interests. I would not miss the Holocaust Museum, however. It is the sort of place that changes you. Even the architecture is meant to teach us.
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If you can pull of a trip to DC, that would be a great memory. Hotels are a bit pricey, especially if you’ll be 5 people. Perhaps others could suggests Airbnb leads and/or good neighborhoods to search. (If you are driving, you likely don’t want to stay right downtown. Traffic is terrible, and parking fees are crazy.)
Does your family like The Sound of Music? We had a great long weekend at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT a few summers ago. It’s not inexpensive but might be less/on par flying somewhere. Beautiful area of VT with lots to do and the Trapp Lodge has summer concerts in their meadow. They have their own brewery. It’s a beautiful spot. The Sound of Music tie in isn’t cheesy, the Austrian influence was very nice, in my opinion!
It’s very chill but from there you can go up to the ski mountain and I think they have zip lining and gondola rides.
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The Trapp Family Lodge is one of my favorite places. I’ve been twice, once with my mom and once with my daughter. I would go back there in a heartbeat. The last time we were there, during COVID in the fall of 2020, we got to meet one of Maria’s grandchildren. 
We also had a guided tour through the woods.
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