Memorials Facts

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall gets washed by hand. Vietnam veterans get down on the granite and scrub it themselves, with buckets, soft brushes and a hose. Their group, Chapter 641, started the ritual in 1996, and through 2026 that is 31 seasons of vets and volunteer groups washing the stone together. The wall carries 58,281 names. They are still out there scrubbing it, every warm season.

Wounded World War II veteran Bob Dole was raising money for a memorial that much of America did not know was planned. He went to Tom Hanks with a long list of reasons to help. Within ten seconds, Hanks said, "I'm your man." He became the campaign's national spokesman, and more than 600,000 donations came in. It opened in 2004, and about four million people visit every year.

In 1982 Vietnam veteran John Devitt went to the dedication of the Wall in Washington and wanted people who could never make the trip to feel what he felt. With other veterans he built a half-size copy carrying the same names and first set it up in Tyler, Texas in 1984. Two copies of The Moving Wall still travel the country, about a week in each town, from April to November.