Last spring I talked to a 5th grade class about the illustration and story in Talking Walls about the WALL in DC. We talked about Maya Lin and the polished granite and since 1982 how so many people have spent time at the wall.
I then asked the students if they had any comments or questions and one boy told me he had a question. He was wondering if so many people visited the wall and touched it with their hands and tears and then left things he thought the wall would be very dirty and wanted to know if anyone ever washed it. I told him that no one had ever asked me that question before , but what did he think?. He was not sure and I told him it would be easy to find out, so I read this article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/washing-the-wall-to-remember-vietnam-vets/2011/05/09/AGJxZsCH_story.html and when I was in DC on a sunny spring day I helped to wash the wall. It was an amazing, moving experience to join other volunteers not only to wash a national monument, but also to meet and talk to veterans and tourists who came to visit the wall that day. I took pictures back to the 5th graders and thanked the student for his question and reminded them they too could wash the wall!
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