On 13 November 1982, the Vietnam Memorial was dedicated.

The Vietnam Memorial is a wall in Washington, DC which has 57,939 names inscribed on it of soldiers who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. The Memorial is located just north of the Lincoln Memorial. It is at the intersection of 22^nd street and Constitution Ave. The memorial was designed by Maya Lin and quickly became one of the most visited memorials in Washington D.C.

When the wall was first designed it was only inscribed with the names of men who had lost their lives in the war. However, in 1993, the women’s memorial was added so now the wall has names of over 58,000 people.

The Vietnam War is said to be the longest war in North American history. A lot of people were against the war; especially during the conclusion of it. Because the war was not fought with two easily identical armies, it made it hard for the United States strike. America’s enemy, the Viet Cong, would often blend in with civilians, use guerrilla warfare to attack, and attack at night.

The memorial is free to visit and it continues to attract many different people from around the world.

–Ajsha B. Davie

Photo Credit: Carl Malamud

Meet the Author

I am a student at Schoolcraft College where I play volleyball. I am working toward getting my Bachelors degree in Biology.