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Vietnam Veterans Memorial Anniversary

Visit the Memorial with us on its 30th anniversary, and then submit your own video response

by Steve Mencher, November 2012

En Español| Watch this video tribute celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, where each year millions of visitors share stories about loved ones and friends they lost in the war.

Then share your own story. To begin, click the button on the screen at the end of the video. You can also click here. This will take you to YouTube, where you'll be asked to sign in to your account. (If you don't have an account there, you can create one by clicking the button in the upper right of the YouTube screen.)

Return often to watch the stories from others.

Remember the words Maj. Michael Davis O'Donnell wrote about fallen comrades before he himself died in action: "If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go …. Take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind."

Wondering whether a family member, friend or neighbor has been remembered on The Wall? Search the names here.

Supporting veterans and their families:

Visit the AARP home page and learn about our volunteer programs.

A Salute to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Maya Lin, at 21, with her controversial memorial design. — Corbis

Maya Lin, with her memorial design, little-known facts about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Here are five facts about “The Wall” that you might not know:

• The idea for the memorial came to veteran Jan Scruggs in 1979 when he suffered from flashbacks after watching the movie The Deer Hunter.

• A total of $15 million was raised with help from a direct marketing campaign led by Stephen A. Cone, now AARP’s executive vice president of Integrated Value and Strategy. 

• Critics found the black-granite design by Yale University student Maya Lin too abstract. Today, The Wall draws 4.5 million visitors annually and is one of the capital’s most popular sites. Lin, now 52, is focused on what she calls her “final memorial,” a series of art installations titled “What Is Missing?”

• Only eight women are listed on The Wall. About 10,000 served as nurses in Vietnam.

• A November ceremony breaks ground for an $83 million education center at The Wall.

— Christina Ianzito