One of the most important things I wanted to do in DC was to visit the Korean War memorial. My father served during that time and so it has special significance in my mind. It was beyond beautiful...and unforgettable - and sometimes more than a little creepy.

The way the soldiers were cast, the placement of the shrubs and trees, all leads the mind to think that you are there...that there is an unseen force. That the future is coming for you.

The future is coming for you...I'm going to have to ponder that phrase for a bit.

The memorial also has a nice pond, and a wall engraved with images from the war - but I found these words to be some of the most moving.

I'm not pro-war, nor am I pro-peace. I am what the situation calls for. Each time in our history is different, and hindsight is always 20/20. People are different and cultures are different. Nothing is certain.

I'd like to say my father taught me that but to be honest he's never talked much about his service. Never addressed many of our questions. We are left to wonder. But he still dreams of it - says he awakes to people and occupations no longer of issue. Fearful.

Fearful of the future. Which right now is difficult for him. The past is what is certain - but only if you were there. Only if you saw.

Pictures only capture so much. The rest is left trapped in our minds, our memories of what was once the ultimate 20 seconds of our lives. Maybe the rest is downhill.

Maybe not.