[Leica] Rolling Thunder

["Steve LeHuray" <icommag@toad.net>]

On Memorial Day I went over to the Vietnam Memorial (The Wall) to take a few
pictures. For those who have never been there, this is a very solemn place
that attracts millions of visitors every year. Memorial Day weekend alone
brings an estimated 1/2 million visitors.

If ever there was a peaceful anti-war protest this is it.

As I walk along the wall I am struck by how quiet everybody is, sometimes
you will hear sobbing, sometimes somebody cries out in pain of a lost loved
one.

On the same weekend is 'Rolling Thunder' now in its 13th year. This is where
over 200,000 Vietnam vets arrive on motorcycles (mostly Harleys) from around
the country wearing their colors which have many Vietnam/Rolling Thunder
patches.

Along the Wall you find many of these vets hugging each other some break
down crying.

The visitors will touch the name of a lost loved one whose name is engraved
on the Wall. Many will leave a momento at the base of the wall, a picture of
grandchildren, a love letter, army boots, a flower, many things.

These are only a small sample of the hundreds of pictures I took over the
three day weekend.

This is the Rolling Thunder ride to the Wall along Constitution Avenue. It
took over an hour-and-a-half for them to all ride by. From where I was it
was impossible to capture the scope of 200,000 motorcycles:

http://www.streetphoto.net/images/im17.jpg

This woman was there for the entire three days. Her love was obvious and her
pain is deep. She was crying for the three days I was there:

http://www.streetphoto.net/images/im18.jpg

Grown men hugging each other and some were crying:

http://www.streetphoto.net/images/im19.jpg

http://www.streetphoto.net/images/im20.jpg

Just one of the many symbols of love left at the base of the wall:

http://www.streetphoto.net/images/im21.jpg

And two more pictures are on my PAW site for wk23:

http://www.streetphoto.net/paw23.html

sl