The Little Store on the Mall

Near the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, there is this little store. It's been there ever since I can remember. And, my DC memories date back to the early 1980s.

This little shanty is there almost year round right between the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Wall. It's always surrounded by the "real men of war." There's always a seasoned veteran selling trinkets, patches, and other memorabilia.

It is a living monument and I look for it every time I am in that neck of the woods. I should probably purchase something one of these days, but somehow I don't feel like I'm worthy to be a part of the experience. So, I remain a bystander taking it all in and realizing that the real veterans are seeing the same shanty with different eyes.