Photo by Fifth World Art (CC BY 2.0)

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, located on Washington DC's National Mall, honors and remembers the service members of the US military who fought in the Vietnam War between 1955 and 1975. The lengthy conflict caused much disagreement at home and cost the United States the painful loss of over 58,000 deaths. The memorial's three components remember those lost, those who served, and the role of women in the war.

The Vietnam Memorial Wall

The memorial's most famous component is a pair of black granite walls sunk into the earth constructed in 1984. Together, they are 493'6" long, and they are inscribed with 58,272 names of those either killed or missing in action. Visitors can walk along the wall and see their reflection beside the engraved names, bringing past and present together. Directories on podiums nearby can help locate names on the wall. Visitors will often seek out names of loved ones and obtain rubbings of their names to take with them.

The Three Soldiers

Added to the memorial in 1984, The Three Soldiers is a bronze statue located nearby the wall. The three young soldiers stand gazing at the wall as if remembering their lost comrades. The statue was added among controversy toward the Wall, and the desire of a more typical war memorial.

The Woman's Memorial

The Women's Memorial, added in 1993, depicts three female nurses, pointing out the importance of their part in the Vietnam War. The women are named Hope, Faith, and Charity, and are meant to represent those concepts. They are depicted helping a wounded soldier named Michael Webb as one prays for him, one tends to his wounds, and the third cradles an empty helmet.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial honors US service members who fought in the Vietnam War. The memorial is a Wall set into the landscape, and lists over 58,000 names of those fallen in the war. The Soldiers, and the Vietnam Women's Memorial are two other memorials for the Vietnam war, both located nearby