In 1982, when the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built and dedicated, a promise was made to never forget those who served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War.
This year marks 40 years since that promise was made and The Wall has become the symbol for an enduring legacy of healing, remembrance, and education.
March 26, 2022 – 40th Anniversary of the Groundbreaking of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
This event can be re-watched on the VVMF Facebook page or YouTube.
March 29, 2022 – National Vietnam War Veterans Day Observance
Co-hosted by Vietnam Veterans of America
This event can be re-watched on the VVMF Facebook page or YouTube.
May 30, 2022 – Memorial Day at The Wall
Memorial Day Observance
This event can be re-watched on the VVMF Facebook page or YouTube.
June 17, 2022 – In Memory Honor Roll Call Event
Time: 10:00 am on the East Knoll in Washington, D.C.
The first-ever in-person full reading of the more than 5,000 In Memory honorees inducted from 1993-2021.
This event can be re-watched on the VVMF YouTube.
To learn more click here.
June 18, 2022 – In Memory 2022 Induction Ceremony
Induction ceremony for 2022 In Memory honorees.
This event can be re-watched on the VVMF Facebook page or YouTube.
To learn more about the In Memory 2022 Induction Ceremony, or how to honor a Vietnam veteran in a future ceremony, click here.
June 19, 2022 – Father’s Day Rose Remembrance.
Roses were laid around the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site to honor fathers on The Wall, those who never had the chance to become fathers and those fathers who returned home and later died.
To view photos from the 2022 Father’s Day Rose Remembrance event, visit https://vietnamveteransmemorialfund.zenfolio.com/p137608623
June 27, 2022 – PTSD Awareness Day
Join us as we lay teal candles around the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site to honor those who struggle with PTSD and those who’ve lost their battle to PTSD.
To view more information about this event or read the candle messages, visit https://www.vvmf.org/PTSD-Awareness/
August 10, 2022 – Agent Orange Awareness Day
Join us as we lay orange candles around the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site to honor those who returned home from Vietnam and struggled with Agent Orange-related illnesses.
To view more information about this event or read the candle messages, visit https://vvmf.org/Agent-Orange-Awareness
November 7 – 10, 2022 – The Reading of the Names at The Wall in Washington D.C.
The reading of 58,281 names on The Wall over a 65-hour period leading up to Veterans Day.
Reading times:
November 7, 2022 from 4:00 pm – Midnight
November 8, 2022 from 5:00 am – Midnight
November 9, 2022 from 5:00 am – Midnight
November 10, 2022 from 5:00 am – Midnight
To learn when a name was read, visit: https://www.vvmf.org/faces
November 11, 2022 – Veterans Day Observance at The Wall
This event can be re-watched on the VVMF Facebook page or YouTube.
Defense Sec. & Other Officials Participate in Veterans Day Ceremony – Watch on C-SPAN
November 11, 2022 – 40th Anniversary Gala
The 40th Anniversary Gala
November 11, 2022, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Willard Intercontinental Hotel
1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington D.C.
VIP Reception for VIP Ticket Holders: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Special Guests include Ann-Margret, Chuck Hagel, Jan Scruggs, Frederick W. Smith
Learn more and purchase tickets at: https://www.vvmf.org/gala/
Join with us as we celebrate the culmination of the 40th Anniversary of The Wall commemoration with an unforgettable evening.
The 40th Anniversary Gala
November 11, 2022, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Willard Intercontinental Hotel
1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington D.C.
The Wall That Heals traveling Wall replica
The 27th season of The Wall That Heals will begin on March 24, 2022 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and visit 29 communities during the year. The traveling exhibit honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in the Vietnam War and it bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
| City | Host | Opening | Closing |
| Bay St. Louis, MS |
Alice Moseley Folk Art & Antique Museum
|
3/24/22 | 3/27/22 |
| Garner, NC |
Show N Tell Ministries
|
3/31/22 | 4/3/22 |
| Crawfordsville, AR | City of Crawfordsville & Crittenden County | 4/7/22 | 4/10/22 |
| Knoxville, TN | Knox County & VVA Chapter 1078 | 4/21/22 | 4/24/22 |
| New Castle, DE | William Penn High School | 4/28/22 | 5/1/22 |
| Findlay, OH | Findlay AmVets Post 21 | 5/5/22 | 5/8/22 |
| Belvidere, IL | Flora Grange No. 1762 | 5/12/22 | 5/15/22 |
| Winchester, IN | Randolph County Veteran Services Office | 5/19/22 | 5/22/22 |
| Erie, PA | Lily Broadcasting/Erie News Now | 5/27/22 | 5/30/22 |
| Norwalk, CT | The Wall That Heals Norwalk Committee | 6/2/22 | 6/5/22 |
| Chisholm, MN | United Way of NEMN – United for Veterans | 6/23/22 | 6/26/22 |
| Franklin, WI | Civic Celebration Commission | 6/30/22 | 7/3/22 |
| Chicago Heights, IL | Bloom Township | 7/7/22 | 7/10/22 |
| Battle Creek, MI |
Calhoun County Red White and Blue Foundation
|
7/14/22 | 7/17/22 |
| Eagan, MN | Community of Eagan & The Dart Network | 7/21/22 | 7/24/22 |
| Winsted, MN | American Legion Post 407 | 7/28/22 | 7/31/22 |
| Tama, IA | Meskwaki American Legion Post 701 & Z-Line LTD | 8/4/22 | 8/7/22 |
| Kearney, NE | 37th Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Reunion | 8/11/22 | 8/14/22 |
| Mead, CO | Town of Mead | 8/18/22 | 8/21/22 |
| Payson, AZ | The Wall That Heals – Payson | 8/25/22 | 8/28/22 |
| Warrenton, MO | The Wall That Heals – Warrenton | 9/8/22 | 9/11/22 |
| Middletown, NY | K of C Blessed Titus Brandsma Council & Our Lady of Mount Carmel | 9/15/22 | 9/18/22 |
| Bedford, MA | VA Bedford Healthcare System | 9/22/22 | 9/25/22 |
| Methuen, MA | Methuen Veterans | 9/29/22 | 10/2/22 |
| Sayre, PA | The Wall That Heals Penn-York Committee | 10/6/22 | 10/9/22 |
| Charlotte, NC | Duke Energy Carolinas | 10/20/22 | 10/23/22 |
| Anahuac, TX | The Wall That Heals – Chambers County | 10/27/22 | 10/30/22 |
| San Antonio, TX | Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Texas (TMMTX) | 11/3/22 | 11/6/22 |
| Cabot, AR | Cabot Welcomes The Wall That Heals | 11/10/22 | 11/13/22 |
Panel 44 Traveling Exhibit
Panel 44 – Eight Days in March is a traveling exhibit that is part of the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Panel 44 was produced in 1982 but was ultimately not placed in the Memorial because of a crack located on the upper right edge of the panel that would have been exposed upon placement in The Wall. Many years later, the panel was found for sale online. VVMF reached out to the seller and acquired the panel and it has been displayed in VVMF’s office until its removal for this traveling exhibit.
Exhibit dates and locations:
- January 5 – March 31
National Museum of the Marine Corps
Triangle, Va.
- April 3 – June 17
National Museum of the U.S. Army
Fort Belvoir, Va.
- June 23 – August 13
First Division Museum
Wheaton, Ill.
- August 17 – September 23
Museum of the Air Force
Dayton, Ohio
- September 29 – October 31
National Museum of the U.S. Army
Fort Belvoir, Va.
- November 3, 2022 – February 27, 2023
National Naval Aviation Museum
Pensacola, Fla.
To learn more about the Panel 44 Traveling exhibit, visit vvmf.org/panel44.
For the 7th time in our history, VVMF will host an in-person event where every single name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is read in order of which it appears on The Wall. As part of the 40th anniversary commemoration the in-person Reading of the Names ceremony will take place in Washington, D.C. at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and begins on November 7, 2022 at 3 p.m. EST. Thousands of volunteers will come to DC to take part in this special event that will end at midnight on November 10, 2022.
The Reading of the Names Schedule (EST):
- Monday, November 7th – 4:00 pm – 12:00 am (midnight)
- Tuesday, November 8th – 5:00 am – 12:00 am (midnight)
- Wednesday. November 9th – 5:00 am – 12:00 am (midnight)
- Thursday. November 10th – 5:00 am – 12:00 am (midnight)
Registration is currently closed and being finalized. If you are interested in volunteering at the event to read names, you can sign up to be a stand-by reader: https://www.vvmf.org/ROTN-volunteer/
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. is one of the most iconic places of remembrance in America, even nearly 50 years after the war ended and 40 years since The Wall was dedicated. It enabled the healing of a generation – and a nation – after one of the most divisive times in our nation’s history. It changed the way we treat our nation’s veterans. It changed the way we mourn the fallen. It paved the way for every memorial that came after it.
On its 40th anniversary, these stories reflect the many ways that The Wall continues to impact our nation today – stories of loss and remembrance, of healing and reconciliation, of service and honor.
Get your copy of the 40th Anniversary book, The Enduring Legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Forty Years of Healing, today: https://www.vvmf.org/40th-book/
The order window for the 40th Anniversary shirt is now open. Order your shirts before November 16, 2022.
Learn more about the shirt and hat: https://www.vvmf.org/40th-gear
December – 40 SONGS ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR AND ERA
January – 40 MOVIES ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR AND ERA
February – 40 BOOKS ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR AND ERA
March – 40 ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL
April – 40 TOP PHOTOS TAKEN AT THE WALL – AS CHOSEN BY THE VOLUNTEERS OF THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL
May – 40 FACTS ABOUT THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL SITE
June – 40 KEY DATES IN THE TIMELINE OF THE WAR AND THE WALL
July – 40 ICONIC WALL OF FACES IMAGES
August – 40 QUOTES ABOUT THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL
If you or your company are interested in becoming a sponsor of the 40th Anniversary of The Wall and all of our commemorative events, please contact Viktor Zikas – [email protected]
Interested in joining a special group of donors in honor of the 40th Anniversary? Take up the 40 for 40 challenge today!