The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial located in Washington, D.C., that honors members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War.

Its construction and related issues have been the source of numerous controversies, some of which have resulted in additions to the memorial complex. The Memorial currently consists of three separate parts: the Three Soldiers statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, which is the most recognized part of the memorial.

The main part of the memorial was completed in 1982 and is located in Constitution Gardens adjacent to the National Mall, just northeast of the Lincoln Memorial. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is maintained by the U.S. National Park Service, and receives around 3 million visitors each year. The Memorial Wall was designed by U.S. architect Maya Lin.

The Moving Wall, also known as The Traveling Wall

Vietnam veteran John Devitt of Stockton, California, attended the 1982 dedication ceremonies of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Recognizing the healing nature of the Wall, he vowed to make a transportable version of the Wall, a "Traveling Wall" so persons who were not able to get to Washington, D.C. would be able to see and touch the names of friends or loved ones in their own home town.

Using personal finances, John founded Vietnam Combat Veterans, Ltd. With the help of friends the half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, named The Moving Wall, was built and first put on display to the public in Tyler, Texas, in 1984.

The Moving Wall visited hundreds of small towns and cities all over the USA, staying five or six days at each site. Local arrangements for each visit were made months in advance by veterans organizations and other civic groups. Thousands of people all over the US volunteered their time and money to help honor the fallen.

Desire for a hometown visit of The Moving Wall was so high the waiting list became long. In 1987 Vietnam Combat Veterans built a second structure of The Moving Wall. A third structure was added in 1989. In 2001 one of the structures was retired due to wear.

By 2006 there had been more than 1000 hometown visits of The Moving Wall. The count of people who visited The Moving Wall at each display ranges from 5,000 to more than 50,000; the total estimate of visitors is in the tens of millions.

Trivia

• All nonperishable items left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial—with the exception of miniature American flags—are collected daily and stored at the Museum and Archeological Regional Storage Facility of the National Park Service.
• A selection of items left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are on display at the American History section of the Smithsonian Institution, just a few blocks away from the Wall.
• The flagpole that sits at the opening of the Memorial has the crests of the five branches of service at its base. It is tradition that Marine Corps Vietnam veterans bring brass polish to shine their service's crest, the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. This is done to show pride in their service. This tradition is not shared by the other branches.
• The stationary or original Memorial (Washington DC) is 493 feet long; east to west it is 246 feet from apex (center) to each infinity end (panels 70E and 70W). It is over 10 feet at the apex and there are a total of 140 panels (70 panels on each side of the apex). Indicator dots within the margins are every 10 lines on every other panel. The lettering is engraved (recessed), approximately three quarters of an inch in height. When you rub a name on paper, you obtain a black background with white letters. A graphite pencil is used for rubbing names on paper.
• The Moving Wall™ is approximately 252 feet; east to west is approximately 125 feet from apex (center) to infinity end (panels 70E and 70W). It is approximately 6 feet at the apex and there are a total of 148 panels (74 on each side). The extra 4 blank panels on each end are to create the illusion of the image of the memorial. Indicator The Moving Wall™ dots within the margins are every 20 lines on every other panel of The Moving Wall™. The lettering is silk screened (embossed), approximately one quarter of an inch in height. When you rub a name on paper, you obtain a light background with black letters. A carpenter crayon is used for rubbing names on paper.
• The Moving Wall™ both memorials are exact with the longest panel 2E and 2W consisting of 137 lines. The shortest panels are 70E and 70W with just 1 line on each. The lines on any panel are completely determined by the topography of the land. Due to the 1959 and 1975 inscribed dedications, the apex (1E and 1W) has fewer lines than 2E or 2W. The memorial names are listed in chronological order as to their casualty date or missing in action (MIA) date. However, within each day listed on the memorial, the names are presented in alphabetical order. Each line has at least five names, but on some lines where the names are shorter - a sixth name could be added later.
• Jan C. Scruggs, a decorated Vietnam infantryman, is the main inspiration behind the establishment of this memorial. He set his own $ 2,800 aside and started raising funds for the construction of the memorial in May, 1972.
• Scruggs was successful in collecting $ 8.4 million for the designing and construction of the same.
• The first stone was laid on March 26, 1982 and in the same year, all the three parts of the memorial were completed.
• The Constitution Gardens where the memorial stands erect adjoining the National Mall, and close to the Lincoln Memorial, was a result of Scruggs requesting the Congress to set aside 3 acres of land for the memorial site.
• The Vietnam War Memorial was designed by a 21-year old Yale University architecture student, Maya Ying Lin from Athens, Ohio out of a total 1,421 entries received as part of the design competition.
• The memorial has been managed by the US National Park Service and governed by National Mall and Memorial Parks group.
• The Memorial Wall comprises of two black granite walls 246 feet 9 inches (75 m) long.
• At 10.1 feet (3 m) high, both the walls reach the highest tip where they meet, then narrowing down to a height of 8 inches (20 cm) at their extreme ends.
• Due to the best reflective quality, granite was intentionally imported from the Indian city of Bangalore in Karnataka.
• The bronze statue named ‘The Three Soldiers’, also known as The Three Servicemen, is located at a short distance from the Memorial Wall. The three statues represent the three different castes of soldiers, who were a part of the war. These three soldiers, identified as White American, African American and Hispanic American, seem to interact with the wall.
• The Vietnam Women’s Memorial is another part of the memorial situated towards the south of the wall. Designed by Glenna Goodacre in 1993, the memorial honors the women who served in the war, most of them being nurses.
• In 2007, the American Institute of Architects awarded Vietnam Veterans Memorial as the 10th most favorite on the ‘List of America’s Favorite Architecture’.