It was my birthday, a good time to face my fears and make my first trip to that other wall of my history, the one I had been avoiding so long. It was 33 years ago that I helped start the Vietnam war, but the Wall still hit me like a bomb, just like it does so many other veterans. Some of those 58,196 names belonged to men that I carried on my ship to their deaths. As I tried to read the names of those would never have another birthday, I couldn't shut my grief away any more. Yes, Americans still cry at the Wall.
Wars are over quickly, but national wounds last a long time.
We still suffer the effects of our own War Between the States, a century and a quarter later. Putting imaginary gods ahead of real people is a real sin. Walls should keep churches out of government, not keep the heroes out of life. Many names on many walls cry out for more humane treatment of humans by humans. American Atheists can lead the way.