Offerings
Much like the names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the offerings left daily along the base of the black granite walls have become a key component to the most visited memorial in the nation's capital.

The phenomenon of leaving items at The Wall is believed to have begun in 1982 when someone placed a Purple Heart in the concrete being poured during the Memorial's initial construction. 

Since that time, the public has continued to leave objects at The Wall and not just the traditional items left at other war memorials such as flowers and flags. Military objects that are customarily handed down from generation to generation such as medals, uniforms and dog tags have been placed at the Memorial, as well as teddy bears, poems, pictures, birthday cards, cigarettes and even a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

In 1984, the National Park Service began collecting the items. Every night, Park Rangers collect and inventory each item. The objects, which now number more than100,000, are stored at the Museum Resource Center in Landover, Maryland.
In October 1992, an exhibit opened at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., which put more than 1,500 objects from The Wall on display to the public for the first time. The exhibit was extremely popular. Other exhibits around the world also have showcased items from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection.

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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 >>

Upcoming Events

Aug. 7-13
The Wall That Heals
Sturgis, S.D.
About the Exhibit

Sept. 2-5
The Wall That Heals
Clinton Township, Mich.
Schedule