Vietnam War Memorial

Located in Washington, DC, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial recognizes and honors the men and women who served in one of America's most divisive wars. The memorial grew out of a need to heal the nation's wounds as America struggled to reconcile different moral and political points of view.

In fact, the memorial was conceived and designed to make no political statement whatsoever about the war. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a place where everyone, regardless of opinion, can come together and remember and honor those who served. By doing so, the memorial has paved the way towards reconciliation and healing, a process that continues today.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial accomplishes these goals through the three components that comprise the memorial: the Wall of names, the Three Servicemen Statue and Flagpole, and the Vietnam Women's Memorial.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial serves as a testament to the sacrifice of American military personnel during one of this nation's least popular wars. The purpose of the memorial is to separate the issue of the sacrifices of the veterans from the U.S. policy in the war, thereby creating a venue for reconciliation.

The Wall

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial consists of three main elements. The Wall, the first part of the memorial to be erected, was dedicated November 13, 1982. Today 58,226 names are inscribed on the wall. The wall includes the names of deceased and missing. The goal of the memorial was to allow all people to reflect on the price of war and to honor those who served.

Some initial reaction to the Wall included opinions that it did not appropriately honor the veterans of Vietnam. As result of this debate a compromise was reached and in the fall of 1984, the Three Servicemen Statue, by Fredrick Hart, was placed near the wall. The Vietnam Women's Memorial rounds out the memorial. Designed by Glenna Goodacre, the statue honors all women who served in Vietnam. The Women's Memorial was dedicated Veterans Day, 1993.

Jan Scruggs survived the Vietnam War, many of his comrades did not. In 1969, he served a tour of duty (one year) in Vietnam where he was wounded and decorated for bravery. In 1979, he and his wife saw a movie about the Vietnam War called the "Deer Hunter." This conjured up memories of perilous days in Vietnam.

He once said of his service in Vietnam, "The bitterness I feel when I remember carrying the lifeless bodies of close friends through the mire of Vietnam will probably never subside. I still wonder if anything can be found to bring any purpose to all the suffering and death." Scruggs struggled for a year in Vietnam to escape the clutches of death. He now found himself committed to a different struggle, to enshrine the memory of those who fought and died in Vietnam.

In late 1979, Scruggs met with a group of Vietnam veterans in Washington, D.C. He expressed his belief that ordinary American citizens would donate money to build a memorial to those who fought and died in Vietnam. Some veterans thought it foolish or naïve of Jan to hold such a belief. He would persevere.

Jan Scruggs and a group of fellow veterans formed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF). The objective of the group was to create a tangible tribute to those Americans who served in the Vietnam War. The tribute would take the form of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

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