I went off to Washington to see all the sights I could see. I didn’t plan to stay long; I didn’t know how long I would be. I got a ride with a guide. He said he could show me all the sites, and for $30, I felt that was about right.

Off we went through the traffic and lots of lights, and he began to point out all the sights: the Capitol, the Lincoln Monument and the places all our money is spent and all the places, some big and small, like the Washington Monument standing so tall. It all brought a big smile.

I saw, but I choked up when I saw the Vietnam Wall memorial; 58,195 names are on that wall, and I took time to look at them all. There was not a name I knew from beginning to end, but one thing was for sure: Each one of them was my friend.

Jerry Corwin
Flowery Branch