The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall: History and How to Visit

It is a list. That is the first thing to know about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Two slabs of polished black granite cut into the ground on the National Mall, sloping down to a low point and back up, with 58,318 names carved into the stone. No statue. No marble heroes. No bronze general on a horse. Just the names of the Americans who did not come home from Vietnam, in the order they fell.

When the wall was unveiled on Veterans Day weekend 1982, a lot of people did not know what to make of it. Forty-three years later, almost five million people walk past it every year, and most of them end up touching the stone.

What the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Is

The memorial sits in Constitution Gardens, just northeast of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. It is one site with three connected pieces: the Wall, the Three Servicemen Statue, and the Vietnam Women's Memorial. The Wall is the part most people picture when they hear the name.

It was built entirely with private donations. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund raised about $8.4 million from more than 275,000 individuals and groups, without a dollar of federal money for construction. The land was federal. Everything else came from the country.

How It Got Built: From One Vet's Idea to a National Memorial

The wall exists because of an Army infantry corporal named Jan Scruggs. In 1979, Scruggs was sitting in a movie theater watching The Deer Hunter. He came home that night, could not sleep, and walked into his kitchen at 4 a.m. He told his wife he was going to build a memorial that listed every name. She thought he was joking.

He was not joking. Scruggs founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund a few months later, with $2,800 of his own money and a folding card table for an office. Most people told him it would never happen. The country had spent most of the 1970s trying to forget Vietnam, and a public monument with every name on it was not something either party in Washington wanted to take on.

Scruggs got it through Congress anyway. President Carter signed legislation in July 1980 authorizing the site. The Fund then ran a national design competition open to anyone over 18, with anonymous submissions judged by a panel of architects and sculptors. They received 1,421 entries.

The winner was a 21-year-old architecture student at Yale named Maya Lin.

Maya Lin and the Design That Almost Did Not Get Built

Lin's entry was the only one without a single representational element. No soldiers. No flags. No eagles. Just two black walls cut into the earth, joined in a wide V, with names listed in the order they died.

The judges chose it unanimously. Then the country found out who designed it and what it looked like, and the war over the memorial started before a single stone had been quarried.

Critics called it a black gash of shame, a degrading ditch, a wall of sorrow that refused to honor anyone. Some Vietnam veterans agreed. Ross Perot, who had originally helped fund the design competition, pulled his support. James Webb, the future senator, called it a nihilistic slab. There were Congressional hearings. The Secretary of the Interior, James Watt, briefly refused to approve construction.

The compromise was the Three Servicemen Statue, a more traditional bronze sculpture by Frederick Hart placed near the Wall, dedicated two years later. Both pieces ended up working together better than either side expected.

Maya Lin defended her design quietly. She had grown up in Athens, Ohio, the daughter of Chinese immigrants. Her senior thesis had been about funerary architecture. She designed the Wall to be a wound in the earth that closes back over, to reflect the visitors who came to read the names, and to put grief at the center of the place. By the time the Wall was dedicated, most of the original critics had walked it themselves and gone quiet.

How the Names Are Arranged on the Wall

This is the part that throws most first-time visitors. The names are not alphabetical. They are listed in the order the service members were killed or went missing, starting with the first American advisor lost in 1959 and ending with the last names from 1975.

58,318 American service members listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. The original 1982 count was 57,939. Names are added every year as eligible casualties are confirmed.

Here is how to read it. Start at the apex of the V, where the two walls meet at their tallest point. The east wall (the one pointing toward the Washington Monument) starts there, and the dates of death run forward in time as you walk away from the apex. The west wall (pointing toward the Lincoln Memorial) starts at the far end and ends back at the apex, finishing on the last day of American involvement.

If you trace the entire Wall from the apex to the west end and back, the war begins and ends at the same place. Maya Lin called it a closed wound. The first and last names sit within a few inches of each other.

1	Symbols next to each name. A diamond means the service member's death was confirmed. A plus sign (or cross) means missing in action. If a missing service member's remains are later identified, a diamond is carved over the plus sign.
2	Panel numbers. Each panel is labeled at the base with an E or W (east or west) followed by a number. The directory and rangers use this to point you to a name. The directory is alphabetical and lists every name by panel and line number.
3	Reading order on a panel. Names run left to right in horizontal lines, top to bottom. When one panel fills, the listing continues on the next panel to the right (on the east wall) or to the left (on the west wall).
4	Why polished granite. Lin chose Bangalore black granite because it polishes to a mirror finish. Standing close, you see your own reflection over the names. That is the design. The dead and the living share the same surface.

The Three Servicemen and the Vietnam Women's Memorial

The Wall does not stand alone anymore. Two additional memorials sit within the same site, and most visitors walk past all three without realizing they are part of one memorial.

The Three Servicemen Statue by sculptor Frederick Hart was dedicated in 1984, two years after the Wall. It shows three young infantrymen, one white, one Black, one Hispanic, in the rough field uniforms and gear of Vietnam-era ground troops. They stand a short walk south of the Wall, facing it. Hart sculpted them looking at the names of friends. The statue was the compromise piece, the one that critics had demanded. It ended up being a quiet companion to the Wall, not a replacement for it.

The Vietnam Women's Memorial by sculptor Glenna Goodacre was dedicated on Veterans Day 1993. It honors the more than 265,000 women who served during the Vietnam era, the majority as nurses. Eight American women died in the war. The statue shows three nurses, one cradling a wounded soldier, one looking up at the sky for a medevac, one kneeling in prayer or exhaustion. It sits a short walk from the Wall, near the Three Servicemen.

A fourth piece, the In Memory Plaque, was added in 2004. It honors Vietnam veterans who came home and later died from injuries or service-connected illness. It does not list names. It is a single granite plaque with a short inscription.

How to Visit and How to Find a Name

The Wall is open 24 hours a day, every day, including holidays. There is no entry fee. The National Park Service operates the site, with rangers on duty from about 9:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. who can answer questions and help locate names.

1	Look up the name before you go. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund maintains a searchable wall of faces at vvmf.org. You can find the panel and line number for any name on the Wall. Write it down or take a screenshot.
2	Find the panel on site. Walk along the path next to the Wall. Each panel is numbered at the base. E1, E2, E3 going east of the apex. W1, W2, W3 going west. If you cannot find it, ask a ranger. They will walk you to the exact line.
3	Bring paper and a pencil for a rubbing. A name rubbing is the traditional keepsake. Rangers hand out paper and graphite pencils for free at the kiosk. Hold the paper against the granite over the name and rub the pencil sideways across it.
4	Pay your respects however you do it. Touch the name. Read the names around it. Sit on the grass. Talk to the person, out loud or in your head. There is no script for this. Whatever feels right is right.
5	Walk the whole length if you can. From the start of the east wall to the end of the west wall is about a quarter mile total. Read names as you go. Most people walk past the apex and do not understand why the wall gets taller until they walk back from the other side.

If you cannot make it to Washington, two other options exist. The Wall That Heals is a 3/4 scale traveling replica that tours the country with an accompanying mobile education center. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund also maintains an online Virtual Wall where every name links to a biographical page with photos, memories submitted by family and friends, and unit information.

Featured Product Because of the Brave Tee For the Americans whose names are on the Wall, and for the ones who came home. Wear it on Memorial Day, on Veterans Day, on the days that matter. Shop Now →

The Things People Leave at the Wall

Almost as soon as the Wall went up, people started leaving things at the base of it. A Purple Heart. A pair of dog tags. A six-pack of beer with a note. A baby shoe. Wedding rings. Letters folded over and pressed against a name.

The National Park Service was not prepared for that. After a few weeks of finding tributes left on the granite ledge, rangers started collecting them and storing them. That collection grew into a federal archive. As of today, more than 400,000 items have been left at the Wall and cataloged by the Park Service. The collection lives at the Museum Resource Center in Landover, Maryland.

If you leave something, it will be picked up at the end of the day, logged with the date and panel where it was left, and stored. Letters are read by archivists. Photographs are scanned. Some items are eventually displayed at the Smithsonian. Almost nothing is thrown away.

People leave things because the names on the Wall are still in conversation with the living. That was Maya Lin's whole point. Whatever you bring will be received.

Common Misconceptions About the Wall

MISTAKE 01

"Maya Lin was Vietnamese."

She was not. Lin is an American, born in Athens, Ohio, the daughter of Chinese intellectuals who fled the Communist takeover in 1949. The confusion fueled a lot of the early controversy. It should not have. She designed the memorial as a 21-year-old American architecture student.

MISTAKE 02

"The names are in alphabetical order."

They are not. Names are listed in the order the service members died or went missing, beginning with the first American casualty on July 8, 1959. That is why finding a name without the panel number is hard. Use the directory or look it up online before you go.

MISTAKE 03

"All Vietnam war dead are on the Wall."

Not exactly. The Wall lists American service members who died in the defined Vietnam War zone, plus a small number who died from wounds received in the zone after returning home. Allied casualties, civilian deaths, and post-war service-connected deaths from things like Agent Orange exposure are honored separately. The In Memory Plaque (2004) recognizes those who died after the war.

MISTAKE 04

"The Wall is finished."

It is not, technically. Names are added every year as the Department of Defense confirms additional eligible casualties. Some are remains finally recovered from Vietnam. Some are veterans whose deaths years after the war have been linked to their wartime service. The count goes up, not down.

MISTAKE 05

"You cannot touch the Wall."

You absolutely can. The granite is meant to be touched. Tracing a name with a fingertip, pressing a palm flat against the stone, doing a rubbing. All of it is encouraged. Just do not climb on the Wall or use anything sharp on the surface.

Featured Product Freedom Isn't Free Liberty Flag Three words that explain why the Wall exists. Fly the Liberty Flag on Memorial Day, on the anniversary of a name you know, on the days that ask you to remember. Shop Now →

If you want more on the symbols, traditions, and ceremonies that surround Memorial Day, our piece on what coins on military graves mean and our breakdown of the Battle Cross both connect directly to what visitors leave at the Wall. Our guide to the Missing Man Table covers another ceremony rooted in the Vietnam POW/MIA story. And if you are observing Memorial Day this year, the National Moment of Remembrance tradition lines up with the spirit of the Wall.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many names are on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial?

58,318 as of the most recent count. The original 1982 dedication listed 57,939. The count grows by a small number of names each year as additional eligible casualties are confirmed by the Department of Defense.

Where is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial located?

In Constitution Gardens on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., just northeast of the Lincoln Memorial. The Wall, the Three Servicemen Statue, and the Vietnam Women's Memorial are all within a short walk of each other.

Who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall?

Maya Lin, a 21-year-old undergraduate architecture student at Yale. Her design was selected anonymously from 1,421 entries in a national competition open to anyone over 18. The unanimous decision by the jury came before anyone knew who she was.

How do you find a name on the Vietnam Wall?

Use the searchable database at vvmf.org before you go. It will give you the panel and line number for any name. On site, find the panel marker (E1 through E70 on the east wall, W1 through W70 on the west wall), then count down to the correct line. Rangers will walk you to it if you need help.

What does the diamond next to a name mean?

A diamond means the service member's death is confirmed. A plus sign (sometimes called a cross) means the service member was missing in action. If a missing service member's remains are later identified and returned, a diamond is carved over the plus sign.

When was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial built?

Ground was broken in March 1982. The Wall was completed and dedicated on November 13, 1982, during Veterans Day weekend. The Three Servicemen Statue was added in 1984. The Vietnam Women's Memorial was dedicated on Veterans Day 1993. The In Memory Plaque was added in 2004.

Why is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial black?

Maya Lin chose polished black granite for two reasons. The polished surface reflects the visitor reading the names, so the living and the dead share the same surface. And cutting the dark stone into the green earth makes the Wall feel like a wound in the ground that closes over as the panels rise back to grade.

Can I leave something at the Wall?

Yes. The National Park Service collects, catalogs, and stores everything left at the Wall (with a small number of exceptions for hazardous or perishable items). More than 400,000 items have been preserved this way and archived at the Museum Resource Center in Landover, Maryland. Letters are read. Photos are scanned. Nothing is thrown away casually.

Keep reading: The Korean War: Why It's Called the Forgotten War, the three-year fight that history nearly forgot.

Honor the Names on the Wall Wear it on Memorial Day. Fly it from your house. Remember the ones who never came home. Because of the Brave Tee → Liberty Flag →