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.
