Hero's Petulant Daughter

Pensacola, Florida

A bronze statue of a little girl clutching a doll and wearing sandals, overalls, an oversized infantry helmet, and an unhappy expression, stands in the same park as a half-size Vietnam Memorial Wall. Titled "Homecoming," the child was sculpted by local art teacher Randy New, and sponsored by the "Children of America's Twentieth Century Heroes."

Randy said he modeled the girl from a photo of his own daughter that was taken when she visited the park in 1999.

The emotional complexity of veteran homecomings may explain the expression, which could easily have been a for-the-camera "DADDY!" smile. Instead, maybe it captures a child processing the reunion, or it could be a "you went off to fight for your country and all I got was this lousy helmet" moment. Or maybe Randy was just too literal, and simply reproduced his daughter's reaction to a hot Florida day in the park.