This Day in History: , Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Dedicated.
November 13, 1982.
Known as "The Wall,"
the moving memorial was
designed by Maya Lin, a 21-year-old
Yale University architecture student. .
Made of black granite, the
V-shaped wall holds the names
of the nearly 58,000 Americans
who died in the Vietnam war.
While controversy surrounded the
creation of "The Wall," it quickly became one
of the most-visited memorials in Washington, D.C.
The memorial's design allows for reflection.
Loved ones of the dead often leave tokens
of their grief, including notes and dog tags.
Etchings of the names also
became a commonplace practice.
"The Wall" has been a source of healing for those
whose lives were transformed by Vietnam, from
veterans to those who protested the war