A Stark Reminder of War, 25 Years On

New York Times ^ | November 12, 2007 | RAYMOND HERNANDEZ

[Dubya]

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 — Throngs of veterans gathered on Sunday under a clear sky on the Mall to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a stark symbol of a war that bitterly divided the nation.

In a poignant reminder of that tumultuous time, the veterans wept, prayed or reminisced at the stone memorial inscribed with the names of 58,256 Americans killed or missing in the Vietnam War.

[Dubya]

Andrew Councill for The New York Times

Colin L. Powell, right, and Senator Chuck Hagel at the Vietnam memorial on Sunday.

[Cagey]

There are no politics here, no policy disagreements,” Mr. Powell said at the ceremony, calling the memorial “a sacred place.”

Indeed, it is.