HOW DID THE MEMORIAL BEGIN?
In 1979 a group of Vietnam veterans operating from Washington, D.C. founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. (VVMF). Their objective was to have a tangible tribute to those Americans who served in the Vietnam War. They stipulated that the Memorial be contemplative in character, harmonize with its surroundings, be an inviting site, contain the names of all those who died or remain missing, and make no political statement. By separating those who were lost in the war from divisive political issues, the VVMF hoped to foster national reconciliation and begin the healing process. On July 1, 1980, Congress authorized a site in Constitution Gardens near the Lincoln Memorial for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, thereby providing the prominent, large park-like setting that the organizers had hoped to find. That October, the VVMF launched a juried national design competition that attracted 1,421 design entries for the Memorial.
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