The memorial, located near the western end of the Mall, is a black granite V-shaped wall inscribed with the names of the approximately 58,000 men and women who were killed or missing in action. It was designed by American architect Maya Lin.
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What are three facts about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial?
The Memorial Wall
- The design for the memorial was determined through a nationwide competition.
- Of the over 1,400 submissions, Yale architecture student Maya Lin’s design was chosen by the committee.
- The Memorial Wall was dedicated on Veterans Day of 1982.
- 70 separate panels make up each of the walls of the ‘v’ shape.
What is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall made of?
The long-awaited memorial was a simple V-shaped black-granite wall inscribed with the names of the 57,939 Americans who died in the conflict, arranged in order of death, not rank, as was common in other memorials.
Why was black granite chosen for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial?
The names of soldiers who were dead had a diamond symbol by their name and those missing in action had a plus symbol. The color black was chosen, not as a symbol of defeat, but to symbolically represent the earth. Granite was chosen since it could withstand the tests at the time.
What happens to things left at the Vietnam memorial Wall?
Items left at the Memorial are deemed to be the property of the National Park Service when voluntarily abandoned. Park staff may choose to save items for the museum collection or respectfully dispose of them.
What does the W mean on the Vietnam Wall?
The list starts and ends at the vertex (apex), beginning at the date 1959 (with first two names listed from the date of July 8, 1959) and the inscription (IN HONOR OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES WHO SERVED IN THE VIETNAM WAR.
Are names still being added to the Vietnam memorial?
Names are still being added to the memorial.
When the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was first dedicated in 1982, Lin’s wall contained the names of 57,939 American servicemen believed to have lost their lives in the Vietnam War.In order to be added, a deceased soldier must meet specific U.S. Department of Defense criteria.
How do you find a name on the Vietnam Memorial wall?
The National Park Service offers these steps for locating a name:
- Look up the name in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Directory of Names.
- Note the panel and line number for the name listed.
- Locate the corresponding panel at the Memorial.
- Locate the line on which the name is inscribed.
Who is the youngest Vietnam veteran still alive?
Dan Bullock (December 21, 1953 – June 7, 1969) was a United States Marine and the youngest U.S. serviceman killed in action during the Vietnam War, dying at the age of 15.
| Dan Bullock | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 21, 1953 Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | June 7, 1969 (aged 15) An Hoa Combat Base, Quảng Nam Province, South Vietnam |
What do the symbols mean on the Vietnam Memorial wall?
The diamond symbol denotes that the service member is known dead or presumed dead; the cross symbol or plus symbol denotes that the service member was missing or prisoner status when The Wall was built in 1982 and remains unaccounted for today.
How many American POWs returned home at the end of the Vietnam War?
591 American prisoners
Operation Homecoming was the return of 591 American prisoners of war (POWs) held by North Vietnam following the Paris Peace Accords that ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
What is the order of names on the Vietnam Memorial?
How are the names arranged on the wall? The names are arranged chronologically by date of casualty. The first names appear at the center of the wall at the top of panel 1E. The panels are filled like pages of a journal listing the men and women’s names as they fell.
Are there any women’s names on the Vietnam Memorial wall?
Eight Women’s Names Are Among the Thousands on the Vietnam Memorial Wall.The two women, both 22, were the first American female service members to lose their lives in the Vietnam War. Over the course of that conflict, eight American women service members lost their lives.
How many items have been left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall?
400,000 items
Since the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall) was dedicated in November 1982, more than 400,000 items have been left by visitors as remembrances and tributes.
Why was the Vietnam memorial so controversial?
The design aroused a great deal of controversy, reflecting the lack of resolution of the national conflicts over the war as well as the lack of consensus over what constituted an appropriate memorial at the end of the 20th century.
Who is the first name on the Vietnam Wall?
Army Major Dale Buis’ name is etched into the granite half an inch tall, no bigger or smaller than any of the others. It is more notable, perhaps, only because his was the first name engraved into The Wall.
What army division has the most casualties in Vietnam?
This article displays the highest percentage of casualties of American units, uncluding those that were totally wiped out as a efective force.
US units with most casualties per conflict.
| Unit | 1st Cavalry Division |
|---|---|
| Conflict | Vietnam War |
| Deployment | Aug 1965 – Aug 1972 |
| Total | 32,036 |
Who pushed for the building of the Vietnam Memorial?
William Westmoreland, who commanded U.S. forces in Vietnam. Scruggs took two weeks off from his job at the Department of Labor to develop the idea further.
How long is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall?
246 feet and 9 inches
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall provides one of the National Mall’s most powerful scenes. In truth, the “wall” is actually made up of two identical walls that each stretch 246 feet and 9 inches, containing more than 58,000 names.
Why did they call Vietnam vets baby killers?
Some people who opposed American involvement in the Vietnam War treated U.S. soldiers and veterans poorly.In some instances, antiwar protesters reportedly spit on returning veterans and called them baby-killers. Although such incidents were rare, the stories were often repeated among U.S. soldiers in Vietnam.
How many female soldiers died in Vietnam?
8 American military women were killed the Vietnam War. 59 civilian women were killed the Vietnam War.
