Wall Mart
Long after most Americans figured the POW/MIA issue was over, a handful of veterans continue a solemn vigil. Contributions are most appreciated.
Cover Story
Down by the Lincoln Memorial, night begins with the buzz of a single gas-powered generator. Soon, a second one grinds into action, then a third. The small motors make a locust clatter along the sacred path to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial--"the Wall." All night long, the portable dynamos will juice the light bulbs hanging inside three neighboring wooden shacks.
Seated in the one with olive-drab walls, Larry Bice is staring straight ahead at Lincoln's marble visage. The president's chiseled countenance is solemn and full of strength. Tonight, Bice needs some of the latter. He's got a roaring headache. His shift won't end for hours. Aspirin's not helping, and neither is the wind, which continuously whips the damp off the Reflecting Pool behind him.
It's 8 p.m. on a Thursday in November. Bice, 53, a sturdy, soft-spoken man in camouflage pants, checks the thermometer hanging from his coat zipper: 45 degrees. As he cranks the knob on the propane heater, its glowing red eye widens, toasting the air. Bice pulls off his black cap, then puts his head down on the counter. But he refuses to let himself nod off. He can't. He's here on a mission.
In the late '60s, Bice served for one year with the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. He has since devoted almost a quarter of his life to this 6-foot-tall hut. The makeshift structure looks something like a roadside fireworks stand, only it never closes for the season. Bice is one of a dozen or so people who man the booth 24/7, 365 days a year. ... Continued 
Issue of Jan. 12 - 18, 2001
News and Features
- Wall Mart
Cover Story - Institutional Revolutionary Party
The City - The Naked Truth
The City - Slogans
The City - Diver Down
The Mail - Life in the Fishbowl
The Mail - The Scales From Her Eyes
The Mail - The Age of Aquarium?
The Mail - Towering Inferno
The Mail - Jack's in the Box
The Mail - It's Greek to Me
The Mail - Into the Void
The Mail - Save It for Later
The Mail
Columns
- Logo à No-Go
Cheap Seats - Mind, Body, Spirit, Underpants
Brief Nudity - Cash Mismanagement
Loose Lips
Eats
Movies
- Our Most Unforgettable Character
Film Review - Back in the Days
Film Review - Save the Last Dance
Film Review - Antitrust
Film Review
Music
- Where Love Rules
Music Review - Face It, You're a Metal Band
Acts Locally
Theater
- The Examined Life...
Theater Review
Arts and Events
- Behind the Music
Arts - Good Consul
Opera - The Holmes Truth
Artifacts - A Very Good Year
Artifacts
City Lights
This week's best in Arts and Entertainment.
- 46th Corcoran Biennial Exhibition: Media/Metaphor
City Lights - Draw Your Own Comic Book
City Lights - Eileen Myles
City Lights - Still Life With Self: A Survey of Contemporary Trends in Self Portraiture
City Lights - Art Nouveau and the Cinema
City Lights - Rick Gold
City Lights - Andrea Young
City Lights - Dying Fetus
City Lights - Iona
City Lights - Brian Straw
City Lights - Ken Burns
City Lights - Julie Taymor
City Lights - Arthur Rowse
City Lights
Find an Event
Select the type of event, and the particular day this week below.
Submit your event to the City Paper's Event Calendar.
Find a Restaurant
Enter a restaurant name, or select a cuisine and neighborhood below.
Find a Movie
Select a movie theater in the box below to see a list of all movies at that theater.
...Or view a full list of theaters, films, and showtimes.
Search Classified Ads
Post a Classified Ad
Search inventory on the City Paper's CarTango website:
This Week in
City Paper History
- Exit Strategy
Nov. 26 - Dec. 2, 1999 - Midget Wrestling
Nov. 26 - Dec. 2, 1999 - Soulsby on Ice
Nov. 28 - Dec. 4, 1997
