View #6

vwmem01
Originally uploaded by Randuwa

The Viet Nam War Memorial, designed by the Chinese-American architect Maya Lin. At the time it was built, the fact of her ethnicity so enraged Republican Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina that he stood on the floor of the Senate and railed against her design's selection solely on the incident of her heritage. Today, Jesse is dead, and the Viet Nam War Memorial is the holiest site on the National Mall.