The Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park, set just outside Angel Fire on a hillside overlooking the Moreno Valley, is one of the most moving small monuments in the American West. The chapel-like structure — white curved concrete walls rising from the meadow — was the first memorial in the country dedicated to those who served in Vietnam, built by a grieving father years before national recognition came to that war's veterans.
Inside the chapel, the names of New Mexico's Vietnam dead are recorded alongside photographs and personal effects. The grounds include walking paths and additional exhibits. The site is free, and the views across the valley to the Sangre de Cristo mountains add a particular gravity to an already affecting place.