What is etched on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial?

What is etched on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial?

Also known simply as “The Wall,” the monument is etched with the names of 58,279 service members whose deaths were a result of the war. Visitors can find the name of a loved one and often use paper and charcoal to make a rubbing of the etching in The Wall’s surface.

Why is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial 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.

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 do the symbols on the Vietnam Memorial mean?

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 do you find a name on the Vietnam Memorial wall?

The National Park Service offers these steps for locating a name:

  1. Look up the name in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Directory of Names.
  2. Note the panel and line number for the name listed.
  3. Locate the corresponding panel at the Memorial.
  4. Locate the line on which the name is inscribed.

How do you get a name on the Vietnam Memorial wall?

According to current DoD guidelines, service members are eligible for inscription on The Wall if they have:

  1. died (no matter the cause) within the defined combat zone of Vietnam (varies based on dates)
  2. died while on a combat/combat support mission to/from the defined combat zone of Vietnam.

Why was the design of the Vietnam Memorial disliked?

Some in the military saw the somber tone of the memorial as anti-war. “The problems they saw were that it wasn’t celebratory, that it made fighting and dying in an American war seem tragic,” says historian Kristin Haas.

How do I find a name on the Vietnam memorial wall?

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.

What’s the name of the Vietnam War Memorial?

Alternative Title: The Wall. Vietnam Veterans Memorial, also called The Wall, national monument in Washington, D.C., honouring members of the U.S. armed forces who served and died in the Vietnam War (1955–75).

Who is the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial?

Vietnam Veterans Memorial. 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.

When did the Vietnam Women’s Memorial come out?

In 2009 the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund assumed responsibility for the maintenance of the site. In 1993 the Vietnam Women’s Memorial was unveiled a short distance from the wall. The bronze sculpture, depicting three women caring for an injured soldier, recognized the work of the more than 10,000 women who served in Vietnam.

Where can I find the names of Vietnam Veterans?

The National Park Service offers these steps for locating a name: Look up the name in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Directory of Names. These directories are located at both ends of the Wall and contain an alphabetical listing of all the names on the Memorial. Note the panel and line number for the name listed.