Kevin Schaffer Photography: Chapel of Love and Brotherhood

Silence. That’s the word that can best describes our visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park near Angel Fire, New Mexico. Solemn silence, particularly in and around the Peace and Brotherhood Chapel. Silence that was cut by the wind, and the occasional comment…

We set out on a Saturday drive, leaving before dawn, with the intent of checking out the section of the Orilla Verde Recreation Area that runs along the Rio Grande River near Pilar, on the way to Taos. After driving down to the recreation area and winding along the Rio Grande for several miles, the road led us back out of the canyon, back up to the high, flat land outside of Taos. The idea was to stop and have lunch in Taos, but I had overestimated how long the drive along the Rio Grande would take and since it was still too early for lunch, we decided to drive on and head up Taos Canyon towards Angel Fire, which was familiar territory to me but a new adventure for my wife.

We drove through the canyon and continued past the turn off to the Angel Fire Ski Resort, and then, perched on a hill to the left, we saw an angular, greyish-white building. As we passed the turn off going up the hill, I caught a glimpse of the sign saying it was a Veterans Memorial, and I made the comment that I wanted to check it out on the way back.

We continued on the road for a bit, turned, and on the way back to Taos we took the turn off and went up the hill to what we now knew was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park. Our car was the only one in the parking lot, and the immediacy of the silence except for the whistling of the wind was the first thing we noticed.

A path lead from the parking lot, with the chapel on the left and a small museum with visitor’s center down and to the right, carved into the side of the hill. After a short visit to the museum, a tribute to New Mexicans who gave their life during the Vietnam War, we walked over to the chapel, following the path that looped around the structure.

The chapel is angular, with sweeping curves, and built into the hill in a manner that invokes the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, while maintaining its own sense of purpose. It stands tall, silent...