The Wall: Of the 2.7 million Americans who served in the Vietnam war, 304,000 were wounded in action, and 75,000 were disabled. Of the casualties listed on The Wall, approximately 1,300 remain missing in action.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial, national monument in Washington, D.C., honouring members of the U.S. armed forces who served and died in the Vietnam War (1955–75). The memorial, located near the western end of the Mall, is a black granite V-shaped wall inscribed with the names of the approximately 58,000 men and women who were killed or missing in action. It was designed by American architect Maya Lin.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. As a senior at Yale University, Lin entered a nationwide competition sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and her design was selected from the more than 1,400 submissions that were received. Lin’s minimal plan was in sharp contrast to the traditional format for a memorial, which usually included figurative heroic sculpture. The design aroused a great deal of controversy, reflecting the lack of resolution of the national conflicts over the war as well as the lack of consensus over what constituted an appropriate memorial at the end of the 20th century. Eventually, a compromise was reached with the commissioning of a traditional statue depicting three servicemen with a flag to stand at the entrance to the memorial. After Lin’s monument was dedicated on November 13, 1982, however, it became a popular and moving tourist attraction.

The Three Servicemen, statue by Frederick Hart, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. On November 11, 1984, the servicemen statue and a U.S. flag were formally added to the memorial, and the combined monument was placed under the control of the National Park Service. In 2009 the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund assumed responsibility for the maintenance of the site.

The Three Soldiers statue sits a few feet from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. This statue was added after the Wall opened to complement it and to offer an alternative memorial for critics who disliked the non-traditional design of the Wall. The sculpture's 3 soldiers represent the diversity of the US military by including a Caucasian, African American, and Latino American whose service branch is intentionally ambiguous. Together, they face the Wall of the fallen.

In 1993 the Vietnam Women’s Memorial was unveiled a short distance from the wall. The bronze sculpture, depicting three women caring for an injured soldier, recognized the work of the more than 10,000 women who served in Vietnam.

During the Vietnam War, women served in many different roles. Many women served as nurses and physicians while others acted as air traffic controllers, communication specialists, and  intelligence officers. The Vietnam Women’s Memorial was established to honor the women who risked their lives to serve their country.

The memorial was dedicated in 1993 and includes a sculpture by Texas artist Glenna Goodacre depicting three women caring for a fallen soldier. Eight yellowwood trees surround the sculpture in honor of the eight servicewomen who gave their lives in Vietnam. The women's names are also among the over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.