This Day in History: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Dedicated

This Day in History: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Dedicated

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.

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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