Standing at the foot of history

Sometimes you discover history after it is past.

I have visited a lot of cemeteries and memorials, but probably the most moving is the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C.

I’ve been there twice, the second time after I had learned that a cousin had been killed in the war and that his name was etched on the marble wall.

I had a natural interest in the wall because I had made three trips to Vietnam w...