The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C., in 1982.
The memorial was built to honor U.S. service members who died or remained missing as a result of the Vietnam War. Its principal feature is a pair of black granite walls inscribed with the names of the dead and missing in chronological order.
The dedication ceremony took place on November 13, 1982. Maya Lin’s winning design emphasized absence, reflection, and the personal scale of the war rather than a heroic battlefield scene.
The memorial complex later expanded. The Three Soldiers statue was dedicated in 1984, and the Vietnam Women’s Memorial was dedicated in 1993. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial remains a major destination for Memorial Day ceremonies and personal acts of remembrance.