June 2000
Dedicated on November 13, 1982, Maya Lin's design for the memorial was meant to make no political statement on the Vietnam War, but rather to provide a place where reconciliation could begin to heal the wounds caused by the most divise war in American history.
Learn more about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
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The two black granite walls that make up the main part of the memorial are laid out to point to the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The names appear in the order in which the men and women were killed or went missing, from 1959 to 1975. Today, most know it simply as "The Wall." |
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When dedicated, The Wall contined 57,939 names of service men and women who were either killed or remain missing from the war. Today, there are more than 58,250 names on The Wall. Most of these names were added as a result of enlargements in the original geographic area defined as the war zone or when a recent death occured as direct result of combat-related injuries suffered during the war. |
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The most powerful part of the Memorial is something that was never planned, the offerings. The items are gathered at the end of each day, and housed in a permanent archive collection. While the archive is not open to the public, the National Museum of American History does exhibit a rotating selection of items. |
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Some criticism of The Wall included felings that it did not appropriately honor the veterans of the war. The Three Servicemen Statue, by Fredrick Hart, was added after a comproimise was reached in 1984. |
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Another view of the Three Servicemen Statue. |
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The Vietnam Women's Memorial, designed by Glenna Goodacre, was dedicated on Veterans Day in 1993. It depicts three women aiding a wounded solidier. The first comforts him. |
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The second woman depicted in the Vietnam Women's Memorial bows her head in thought, or prayer. |
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The third woman depicted in the Vietnam Women's Memorial looks to the skies, awaiting a medevac helicopter, or, perhaps, appealing to a higher power. |
