Vietnam Veterans Memorial Holly Dagit and Debbie Guerrero

Background The Vietnam Memorial is a complex made of three separate parts: the Three Soldiers statue, the Women’s Vietnam Memorial, and Vietnam Veterans memorial Wall. Four years after the ending of the war, on April 27th, 1979, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Inc. was the nonprofit organization that was authorized by Congress to fund and build the memorial. Eventually 8.4 million dollars was raised through private donations. Lead a group of veterans led by Jan C. Scruggs, who was wounded and decorated for service in Vietnam, the organization sought a tangible symbol of recognition from the American people for those who served in the war. Two members of the U.S. Senate, Charles Mathias (R-Md.) and John Warner (R-Va.), took the lead in Congress to enact legislation providing three acres in the northwest corner of the National Mall as a site for the Memorial.

Designer In 1981, at age 21 and while still an undergraduate, Maya Lin won a public design competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, beating 1,441 other competition submissions. The black cut-stone masonry wall, with the names of 57,661 fallen soldiers carved into its face,was completed in late October 1982 and dedicated on November 13, 1982.The wall is granite and V- shaped, with one side pointing to the Lincoln Memorial and the other to the Washington Monument. Lin's conception was to create an opening or a wound in the earth to symbolize the gravity of the loss of the soldiers. The design was initially controversial for what was an unconventional and non-traditional design for a war memorial. Opponents of the design also voiced objection because of Lin's Asian heritage. However, the memorial has since become an important pilgrimage site for relatives and friends of the American military casualties in Vietnam, and personal tokens and mementos are left at the wall daily in their memory. In 2007, the American Institute of Architects ranked the memorial #10 on their list of America's Favorite Architecture.

Timeline for Memorial Design, Dedication, and Development July 1, 1980: COngress authorizes 3 acres for the memorial near the Lincoln Memorial and adjacent to the National Mall and a design competition is announced. December 29, 1980: competition begins and offers prize of 50,000 dollars March 30, 1981: Designs are submitted and evaluated January 1982 – The Three Soldiers was added to the design as a result of controversy over Lin's design. March 11, 1982 – The design is formally approved. March 26, 1982 – Ground is formally broken. November 1984 – The Three Soldiers statue is dedicated. November 11, 1993 – Vietnam Women's Memorial is dedicated. November 10, 2004 – Dedication of memorial plaque honoring veterans who died after the war as a direct result of injuries suffered in Vietnam, but who fall outside Department of Defense guidelines. May 4, 2010 - Six names were added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial during a ceremony. The new names are veterans who died after the war as a direct result of injuries suffered in the combat zone.

The Purpose It honors U.S. service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, service members who died in service in Vietnam/South East Asia, and those servicemembers who were unaccounted for (Missing In Action) during the War. Today, the wall includes 58, 386 names and its treated today as a shrine to those that were lost. Though it was controversial in design and is considerable one of the most solemn war monuments ever created, it brought great comfort to those who returned from the war and the lost soldiers’ families. One very interesting custom about the wall is the when people come to visit, they perform what is called “a rubbing”, a piece of paper is laid over a name on the wall and a pencil is rub over the paper leaving an impression of the name on the once blank page.

The Design The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund wanted, above all, for the memorial to have a prominent site in a large, park-like area; thus, the western end of Constitution Gardens was requested as the site. Four major criteria for the design: That it be reflective and contemplative in character. That it harmonize with its surroundings, especially the neighboring national memorials. (The Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial) That it contain the names of all who died or remain missing That it make no political statement about the war.

The Design The Vietnam Memorial is a sloping, V-shaped, 493-ft wall of highly polished black granite that descends 10 feet below grade level at its vertex. A key element to the design of the memorial is the names of the men and women who died or went missing while serving in the U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War, and as a result there are over 58,000 names inscribed on the wall. Richard B. Fitzgibbon Jr. is listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having a casualty date of June 8, 1956.

Purpose of Design This memorial was created to honor the veterans of the Vietnam War as well as the soldiers who lost their life fighting. Like all wars, it was controversial, brutal, but most of all tragic. Unlike many memorials and monuments, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall is not decorative at all. Most memorials are grand structures that demand admiration. This structure is the exact opposite. It seems to give off a quiet, almost melancholy atmosphere. Almost, but not quite. Mostly, it is a feeling of deep reflection that stays with you even after you leave.

The Wall That Heals On Veterans Day 1996, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) unveiled a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., designed to travel to communities throughout the United States. Since its dedication, The Wall That Heals has visited more than 400 cities and towns throughout the nation. The traveling exhibit provides thousands of veterans who have been unable to cope with the prospect of facing The Wall to find the strength and courage to do so within their own communities. It is approximately 250 feet in length and is constructed of powder-coated aluminum, supported by an aluminum frame, and is made up of 24 individual panels, each containing six columns of names. As on The Wall, the names on The Wall That Heals are listed by day of casualty.

The Controversies The Vietnam War was one of the longest and most controversial wars in United States history and the memorial was no different. A stated goal of the memorial fund was to avoid commentary on the war itself, serving solely as a memorial to those who served.Nevertheless, a number of controversies have surrounded the memorial. The selected design was very controversial, in particular its unconventional design, its black color and its lack of ornamentation. Some public officials voiced their displeasure, calling the wall "a black gash of shame.” Many supporters of the monument withdrew their support once the design controversy became public. As a way to appease the public, the Three Soldiers statue was added and eventually the memorial for women who served during the war. Since its early years, criticism of the Memorial's design has faded and memorial has slowly grown and developed.. In the words of Scruggs, "It has become something of a shrine."

The Controversies Women's Memorial The original winning entry of the Women's Memorial design contest was deemed unsuitable.Glenna Goodacre's entry received an honorable mention in the contest and she was asked to submit a modified design model. Goodacre's original design for the Women's Memorial statue included a standing figure of a nurse holding a Vietnamese baby, which although not intended as such, was deemed a political statement, and it was asked that this be removed. She replaced them with a figure of a kneeling woman holding an empty helmet.

“The Names Would Become the Memorial”

Purpose of Memorials and Monuments Our society creates monuments to commemorate important individuals and groups of people, as well events in history. The goal of these structures is to reflect the significance of that certain person or point in time. All too often, people who live in the present forget the past. The most important thing is keeping the memory alive.