The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

Most of the information in this column is also available online at various websites.  It is not my intent to claim credit for any of that information, and I realize that I will be guilty of plagiarism in some respects.  However, some of the facts I will provide are not readily available, so I believe that I am augmenting known history of the Vietnam Memorial.

I recently learned that 12 names were either added to, or status altered on the wall.  One of the questions I've often pondered is, how do they add a name to a granite wall that has names arranged chronologically by date of death-causing injury?  A little history is in order before I provide the answer to that question...

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, the main focus of the Memorial, but certainly not the entire one, was dedicated in 1982 with 57,939 names inscribed on it.  It included names of those killed in action (KIA) and missing in action and presumed dead (MIA).  However, names have since been added to the wall as Vietnam War veterans succumb to wounds and conditions brought about by enemy encounters.  That means that there have been several additions to the names on the wall since 1982, even though the war ended in 1975.  As of November of 2013, there are a total of 58,286 names engraved there.

Another alteration to the wall takes place when a MIA is confirmed to be deceased. That often happens as modern technology and improved relations with the Vietnamese people uncovers remains of personnel and identifies them through DNA testing.  When that happens, the cross next to the name that designates that person as either MIA or POW has a diamond superimposed over the cross, the symbol indicating KIA status for all others. The four points of the cross remain visible, though, because the diamond is slightly smaller than the cross it replaces.

There are possibly 38 names on the wall of individuals who were designated POW/MIA, but who might still be alive.  When and if any of those people comes forward, the name would be removed from the registry, but the name cannot be removed from the wall, so a circle will be inscribed around the cross or diamond to indicate life.  To date, only one has turned up as a survivor, and that was way back in 1992.

Okay, I've kept you in suspense long enough.  As to the question of how names are added in keeping with the chronological order, the wall was designed with future expansion in the plan.  There are five names to a row, but they were inscribed so that about every third or fourth row, names are short enough that a sixth can be inscribed at a later date.  If a name is to be added, it will be inscribed as close as possible to the location it would have appeared on the original carving.  It won't always be exact, but it will be very close, so that those who died together will remain together on the wall. 

The design of the wall by architectural student Maya Lin, though controversial, was  so perfect that I was assured that the integrity of the wall has never been compromised and those added to the wall are in very close proximity to their comrades-in-arms.  This despite the fact that over 300 names have been added.

If you've never been to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which includes more than just the wall, make it an item on your bucket list to visit it and the other memorials our war dead on The Mall in Washington, D.C.

Portions of this column and facts within it were mostly found and drawn from the website www.VMF.org.  Please visit that site for more detailed information and for a virtual tour of the memorial.