Vietnam Veterans Memorial |
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial (often called the Wall) is located in Constitution Gardens on the National
Mall in Washington, DC, just northeast of the Lincoln Memorial. The Wall is made up of two nearly 250 foot (75 m) long
black granite walls that meet at an angle of about 125 degrees. Inscribed on the Wall are the names of those Americans who died
in the Vietnam War in chronological order. As of 2003, there are 58,325 names. The Three Soldiers
statue, which is set a small distance away, is also considered part of the memorial.
These walls are sunk into the ground with the top flush with the earth behind them. At the highest point (the apex where they
meet), they are 10.1 feet (3 m) high, and they taper to a height of 8 inches (20 cm) at their extremities. Granite for the wall
came from Bangalore India. One wall
points toward the Washington Monument, the other in the
direction of the Lincoln Memorial. There is a pathway along the
base of the Wall, where visitors may walk, read the names, make a pencil rubbing of a particular name, or pray.
Reading names in the polished marble
The Memorial was designed by Maya Ling Lin, a 21 year old Yale architecture student. She submitted the winning design for the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial in a national competition.
The Three Soldiers Statue - part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC
On May 6, 1981 a jury of architects and
sculptors unanimously selected Lin's design for the memorial from 1,421 other entries. Ground breaking was held on March 26, 1982 with dedication of the memorial on
November 13, 1982 after a march to its
site by thousands of Vietnam War veterans. Her design was for the central element of the monument, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
wall.
The design lacks many of the elements traditionally present in war
memorials, such as patriotic writings and heroic statues (although three statues were added to the memorial site in 1984). Names are listed in the chronological order in which servicemembers died, and information
about rank, unit, and decorations are not given. Controversy surrounded the wall's dedication, with some veterans' groups
decrying it as inappropriate or unpatriotic. Since then, however, both veterans and the American public in general have come to
admire the Wall, which is one of the most visited sites in Washington.
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