At the time of dedication, the VWMP was about $600,000--$700,000 short of required funds, and the corporation which underwrote the amount, provided the needed last-minute cash.

[2] It took seven years of testimony before three federal commissions and two congressional bills for Evans and her supporters to earn permission for the memorial.

Sculptor Glenna Goodacre, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, submitted a design that received honorable mention and was selected as the statue that replaced the design "Nurse" by Rodger Brodin which was used as a fundraiser during the early days of awareness-raising; the model for "Nurse," with which thousands fell in love and which raised the first million dollars toward the Project, was Rhonda McKellup a 26-year-old sheriff's office dispatcher in Minnesota.

Since the dedication of the Vietnam Women's Memorial in 1993, Carlson Evans has remained active in the veterans community.

Awards and honors include: Evans wrote a public letter against the US Patriot Act and war in Iraq.