Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Vietnam Memorial State Park, New Mexico




Don't know how this state park ended up where it did, but it's in a lovely, out-of-the-way part of the state.




Atop a hill. Beautiful vistas. The wind. 



Shimmering aspens whispering in the perpetual hilltop breeze. They must look spectacular in the fall.  



It's a place of beauty.



There are places for reflection. 



There are places for sharing.



A gift shop.


There's also a museum, larger than one would suppose from the outside. It seems to pay especial attention to the veterans.

The memorial invites one to slow down, to be quiet for awhile. 



4 comments:

J A said...

The Peace and Brotherhood Chapel was dedicated in 1971, the initiative of the Westphall family whose son was killed in Vietnam 1968. I assume at that time it was private property or otherwise the location they were able to secure to build the memorial -which is hugely revered and popular.
A beautiful spot.
Of note is a scale model of the Women's Vietnam Memorial (1993 Washington) by glennagoodacre.com
(pardon the link) Wonderful photos.

Mzuri said...

It is a beautiful spot; I'm glad it's where it is. The women's memorial sculpture done by Ms. Goodacre is moving. Glad you included the link.

Michael F. Walsh said...

The memorial is built on land that the family had planned to build a resort on, but after the death of their son, it was used for the memorial. The state of New Mexico now has control over it and maintains the site. See more about it at ameanstoheal.org Click on New Mexico and scroll back until you find it. the rest of the story is there.

Mzuri said...

Thank you so much for this additional information. I did, indeed, look at your thoughtful site - thank you for sharing it with me.