I have visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on numerous occasions and it never fails to move me. The Memorial Wall was designed by American architect Maya Lin and honours the men and women who served in the controversial Vietnam War, the wall chronologically lists the names of more than 58,000 Americans who gave their lives in service to their country.
The wall has many symbolic aspects and the design was very controversial when first erected. Some wanted a more heroic statue and a compromise was reached by commissioning Frederick Hart (who had placed third in the original design competition) to produce a bronze figurative sculpture in the heroic tradition.