The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is a tribute to all who served during one of the longest wars in American history. Since the nonprofit Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) built the memorial in the early 1980s, it has pursued a mission of preserving the memorial, promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War, and honoring and preserving the legacy of service. Today, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is among the most visited memorials in the nation’s capital.

The memorial site includes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, with the names of the more than 58,000 men and women who died in combat or are listed as missing in action, as well as the adjacent Three Servicemen Statue, standing vigil over the Wall. As part of the VVMF In Memory program, a special plaque on-site reads: “In memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice.”

The nearby Vietnam Women’s Memorial depicts three uniformed women caring for a wounded servicemember and serves as a poignant reminder of the contributions of women in times of war.

The Vietnam Women’s Memorial was dedicated on Nov. 11, 1993. (Photo by Mike Morones/MOAA)

In addition to the memorial, two initiatives of the VVMF are The Wall That Heals and In Memory Weekend. The Wall That Heals is a replica of the Wall in Washington, D.C., designed to travel to communities throughout the U.S. In Memory Weekend is conducted Father's Day weekend every year. I attended this event in 2019 with my son to read the name of my husband and his father during the ceremony. It will always be an important memory for us that we were honored to attend.

Finally, the virtual Wall of Faces is an online page dedicated to honoring and remembering every person whose name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.