VVMF Fact Sheet

Based in Washington, D.C., the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is the nonprofit organization authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1980 to build a national memorial dedicated to all who served with the U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War. 

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, today known as The Wall, was dedicated in 1982. Two years later, the bronze Three Servicemen statue and a flagpole were added to the site on the National Mall.  The dedication of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, to remember and honor the women who served in Vietnam, took place on Veterans Day 1993.  The most recent addition to the Memorial site is the In Memory plaque, added in 2004 to honor those individuals who died as a result of the Vietnam War, but whose names are not eligible for placement on the Memorial because of Department of Defense policies.

In November 2003, President George W. Bush signed legislation authorizing VVMF to build an underground educational facility near The Wall. The Education Center at The Wall will show the pictures and tell the stories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. It will show some of the more than 150,000 items left at The Wall and celebrate the values exhibited by America’s service members in all wars.

Since the dedication of The Wall, VVMF has pursued a mission of preserving the legacy of The Wall, promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War. Its activities include:

• Organizing individuals on the grassroots level to gather photos of those from their communities whose names are on The Wall and pursue remembrance activities in their towns. All photos and stories collected will be featured in the Education Center when it is built and also shared on VVMF’s Virtual Wall.

• Hosting ceremonies on Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and during the Christmas holidays, which allow the public throughout the year to remember and pay tribute to friends and loved ones whose names are inscribed on the Memorial.

• Maintaining the In Memory program that sets aside a day each year to honor those who served in Vietnam and died prematurely as a result of that service, but whose deaths do not fit the Department of Defense criteria for inclusion on The Wall. This includes deaths that may have resulted from exposure to Agent Orange or PTSD-induced suicides.

• Developing and distributing comprehensive and balanced educational materials that incorporate the lessons of the Vietnam War era to provide students with a greater sense of responsibility, leadership and global understanding. Materials include: Echoes From The Wall, a multimedia curriculum guide; the Hometown Heroes Service Learning Project, which helps teachers connect with veterans in the community to bring their stories to the classroom; and books of essays, including the latest, Dreams Unfulfilled, which tell the stories of the Vietnam generation. These resources have either been sent to the schools free of charge or are available electronically at no cost.

• Providing teacher training focused on the Vietnam War and The Wall through a partnership with the Close Up Foundation and making teachers aware of the free resources available through VVMF.

• Coordinating and managing The Wall That Heals touring exhibition, featuring a half-scale replica of The Wall and a museum that takes the Memorial’s healing legacy to communities nationwide. Millions of people have visited The Wall That Heals since its 1996 inception.

• Providing the public with an opportunity to learn more about the war, the Memorial and VVMF through our website: www.vvmf.org. The website also contains the Virtual Wall, which features a page for every person whose name is on the Memorial. These pages allow family and friends to share memories, post pictures and connect with each other.

• Providing nearly 100 Memorial volunteers with the necessary supplies to continue their useful work of honoring, healing and educating, and hosting an annual appreciation luncheon for these dedicated individuals.

• Commissioning Memorial engineering studies, name additions and status changes.

• Storing extra granite at Quantico Marine Base and purchasing commercial insurance for the Memorial.

• Providing free name rubbings to the public.

VVMF is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to honoring our nation’s veterans and educating this and future generations about the impact of the Vietnam War. Gifts from the public and grants from corporations and foundations providing funding for VVMF’s outreach efforts.

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    The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund takes our stewardship of your donations seriously. The programs we fund are designed to help us achieve our mission of preserving the legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War.