It is part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., a short distance south of the Wall and north of the Reflecting Pool.

Diane Carlson Evans, a former U.S. Army nurse, co-founded the Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation (VWMF) in 1984 with two other veterans.

With assistance from members of Congress, VWMF was granted permission in 1988 to erect the memorial, as long as the necessary funds were raised.

In addition to the memorial, the group's other goals was locating all women veterans of the war, and educating the public about their sacrifices.

Television journalist Morley Safer from 60 Minutes heard about the reference to dogs and invited several women who had served in Vietnam to be interviewed.

[2] In 1987, the United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) overwhelmingly rejected the proposal, despite a letter of support from Secretary of the Interior Donald P. Hodel.

The CFA's reasons for denying the project was because, in their view, the memorial was already complete and the Three Soldiers statue represented all who served.

"[7] In response to the CFA's rejection, U.S. senators David Durenberger and Alan Cranston sponsored a bill to erect the memorial.

Durenberger said Public Law 96-297, signed in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter, authorized a memorial in Constitution Gardens to both men and women who served in Vietnam.

[3] After years of lobbying and with the help of the aforementioned politicians, the VWMF succeeded in getting the U.S. Senate to approve a "woman's statue" on June 15, 1988, that would be installed in Arlington National Cemetery instead of the Constitution Gardens.

In a statement from the White House, Reagan said the statue would be installed somewhere in the 2.2-acre (0.9 ha) area where the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Three Soldiers are located.

[1][10] The person chosen to design the landscape was architect George Dickie, and the Art Castings of Colorado founded the memorial.

"[12] A Marine in attendance, who had lost both legs during battle in Vietnam, was upset the memorial was installed 300 feet (91 m) south of the Wall, insisting it should be closer "because these women were the last people those guys saw or talked to before they died.

Two such events were a women's march down Constitution Avenue, which was met with cheers from male veterans, and a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where a wreath was laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Inscriptions on the sculpture include "Glenna Goodacre Sculptor/(copyright symbol)", "1993 Vietnam Women's Memorial Project, Inc.", and the foundry's mark.