Vietnam Veterans Memorial
| Vietnam Veterans Memorial | |
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IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
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Visitors at the wall in January 2005.
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| Location | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Coordinates | 38°53′28″N 77°2′52″W / 38.89111°N 77.04778°WCoordinates: 38°53′28″N 77°2′52″W / 38.89111°N 77.04778°W |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Established | November 13, 1982 |
| Visitors | 3,799,968 (in 2006) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | |
| Architect | Maya Lin |
| NRHP Reference # | 01000285 |
| Added to NRHP | November 13, 1982 |
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a 2-acre (8,000 m²) national memorial in Washington, D.C. It honors U.S. service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, service members who died in service in Vietnam/South East Asia, and those service members who were unaccounted for (Missing In Action) during the War.
Its construction and related issues have been the source of controversies, some of which have resulted in additions to the memorial complex. The memorial currently consists of three separate parts: the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, completed first and the best-known part of the memorial; the Three Servicemen Memorial, and the Vietnam Women's Memorial.
The main part of the memorial, which was completed in 1982, is in Constitution Gardens adjacent to the National Mall, just northeast of the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial is maintained by the U.S. National Park Service, and receives around 3 million visitors each year. The Memorial Wall was designed by American architect Maya Lin. In 2007, it was ranked tenth on the "List of America's Favorite Architecture" by the American Institute of Architects. As a National Memorial, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Memorial Wall is made up of two 246 feet 9 inches (75.21 m) long gabbro walls, etched with the names of the servicemen being honored in panels of horizontal rows with regular typeface and spacing. The walls are sunken into the ground, with the earth behind them. At the highest tip (the apex where they meet), they are 10.1 feet (3.1 m) high, and they taper to a height of 8 inches (20 cm) at their extremities. Symbolically, this is described as a "wound that is closed and healing".
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