The Wall

More than 25 years after its dedication, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial remains one of the most visited memorials in the nation's capital. Millions come each year to pause and reflect in front of the black granite of The Wall, find the names of loved ones, make rubbings of those names and leave behind tributes to those they lost.

Memorial Statistics
Each of the walls is 246-feet, 8-inches long. They meet at an angle of 125 degrees, 12 minutes, pointing exactly to the northeast corners of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. The walls are supported along their entire length by 140 concrete pilings driven approximately 35 feet to bedrock.

At their vertex, the walls are 10-feet and 1 1/2-inches in height. The stone for the walls, safety curbs and walkways is black granite quarried near Bangalore, India. All cutting and fabrication was done in Barre, Vermont. The variations in color and texture are a result of different finishing techniques, i.e., polishing, honing, and flame treating.


The inscription on Panel 1 East of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial reads:

IN HONOR OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES WHO SERVED IN THE VIETNAM WAR. THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES AND OF THOSE WHO REMAIN MISSING ARE INSCRIBED IN THE ORDER THEY WERE TAKEN FROM US.


The inscription on Panel 1 West of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial reads:

OUR NATION HONORS THE COURAGE, SACRIFICE, AND DEVOTION TO DUTY AND COUNTRY OF ITS VIETNAM VETERANS. THIS MEMORIAL WAS BUILT WITH PRIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. NOVEMBER 11, 1982.

 

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Latest News

July 28 - The Wall That Heals traveling Wall replica will visit Sturgis, S.D. from Aug. 7-13 during the 2010 Motorcycle Rally, courtesy of Harley-Davidson and Rolling Thunder.  READ press release >>

July 14 - San Antonio Spurs owner Peter M. Holt has pledged $1 million to match donations made in Texas for the Education Center at The Wall.  READ press release >>

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