Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

Others veterans joined including, Jack Wheeler, and several other graduates of West Point to finance the construction of a memorial to those Americans who served or died during the Vietnam War.

The vision of a Memorial of names flowed from the academic work at American University of Jan Scruggs about which he testified to the US Senate.

On November 8, 1979, Sen. Mathias introduced legislation to authorize a site of national park land for the memorial.

Corporations, foundations, unions, veterans groups and civic organizations contributed, but most importantly, more than 275,000 individual Americans donated the majority of the money needed to build the Memorial.

All entries were judged anonymously by a jury of eight internationally recognized artists and designers who had been selected by VVMF.

The winning design was the work of Maya Ying Lin of Athens, Ohio, a 21-year-old senior at Yale University.

In January 1982, the decision was made to add a flagstaff and sculpture on the Memorial site in order to provide a realistic depiction of three Vietnam service members and a symbol of their courage and devotion to their country.

In July 1982, VVMF selected Washington, D.C. sculptor Frederick Hart to design the sculpture of the servicemen to be placed at the site.

In 2000, Congress authorized the placement on the Memorial site of a plaque honoring post-war casualties of Vietnam whose names are not eligible for inscription on The Wall.

In October 1980, the VVMF announced a contest for the design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial would be open to anyone over 18 years of age.

Subsequently, VVMF set four major criteria for the design: (1) that it be reflective and contemplative in character, (2) that it harmonize with its surroundings, especially the neighboring national memorials, (3) that it contain the names of all who died or remain missing, and (4) that it make no political statement about the war.

Approaching the memorial, the ground slopes gently downward and the low walls emerging on either side, growing out of the earth, extend and converge at a point below and ahead.

The walls are to be made of a hard, polished black granite, with the names to be carved in a simple Trojan letter.

The memorial's construction involves recontouring the area within the wall's boundaries, so as to provide for an easily accessible descent, but as much of the site as possible should be left untouched.

The various elements of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site on the National Mall have been a subject of numerous controversies revolving around design issues.

Today, VVMF continues to lead the way in paying tribute to our nation's Vietnam veterans and their families.

VVMF's mission is to honor and preserve the legacy of service in America and educate all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War and era.

VVMF partners with the National Park Service on the long-term care and preservation of the Memorial site.

See WWW.VVMF.ORG The Wall That Heals is a traveling exhibit that includes a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.