Vietnam Women's Memorial
The Vietnam Women's Memorial is a bronze memorial on a granite base dedicated to the nurses and women of the United States who served in the Vietnam War. It depicts three uniformed women with a wounded male soldier, symbolizing the caregiving and support roles women played in the conflict as nurses and other specialists. The memorial is part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., south of the Wall and north of the Reflecting Pool. Glenna Goodacre sculpted the memorial after the idea for a memorial to women was previously rejected. It was approved in 1988 after years of lobbying, and was dedicated on Veterans Day in 1993.
June 2010 © ILoveCustard · CC BY-SA 3.0
August 2018 © Karen Cutter · CC BY-SA 4.0
November 2013 © G0T0 · CC0
Identification | |
| Title | Vietnam Women's Memorial |
| Type | Memorial sculpture |
Historical context | |
| Associated war | Vietnam War |
Iconography and meaning | |
| Criticism | Criticized for historical inaccuracy because it depicts nurses providing field medical care, although such primary care was provided by U.S. Army doctors and U.S. Navy corpsmen, with nurses working in military hospitals |
| Named commemorated servicewomen | Eleanor Grace Alexander, Pamela Dorothy Donovan, Carol Ann Drazba, Annie Ruth Graham, Elizabeth Ann Jones, Mary Therese Klinker, Sharon Ann Lane, and Hedwig Diane Orlowski |
| Killed in action | Sharon Lane was killed in action; the others died of accidents and illness |
| Commemorated servicewomen | The eight American servicewomen who died during the Vietnam War |
| Purpose | To commemorate and memorialize the role of women in the Vietnam War |
| Subject | Women of the United States who served in the Vietnam War, mostly as nurses |
| Depicted figures | Three women in uniform and a wounded soldier |
| Figure names | Hope, Faith, and Charity |
| Symbolism | The women represent the support and caregiving roles women played in the war as nurses and other specialists |
Creator | |
| Sculptor | Glenna Goodacre |
| Landscape architect | George Dickie |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Other design proposal | Rodger M. Brodin proposed a lone woman nurse in uniform |
| Fundraising status before dedication | By 1990, the foundation had raised almost half the goal and later raised the rest |
| Fundraising goal | $3.5 million |
| Support | Received support from Secretary of the Interior Donald P. Hodel, and later from senators David Durenberger and Alan Cranston and Representative Sam Gejdenson |
| Opposition | Faced ridicule, death threats, and criticism that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was already complete |
| Other design proposal | Eileen Barry submitted a bronze woman facing the Wall with a water feature and bronze relief |
| Lobbying effort | Approval followed years of lobbying and dozens of meetings |
| Design competition | A competition began in August 1990 with 317 entries; the winner received $20,000 |
| Legislative history | Public Law 96-297 (1980) authorized a memorial in Constitution Gardens to men and women who served in Vietnam; a later bill for the memorial was signed by President Ronald Reagan in November 1988 |
| Approval | Approved in 1988, on condition that the necessary funds be raised |
| Selection process | Selected by the United States Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission after earlier proposals for a memorial to women had been rejected |
| Initiated by | Diane Carlson Evans |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founders | Diane Carlson Evans, Donna-Marie Boulay, and Gerald C. Bender |
| Founder | Diane Carlson Evans |
| Advocacy group | Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation (VWMF) |
| Diane Carlson Evans's Vietnam War service | Former Army nurse |
Location and ownership | |
| Ownership and maintenance | National Park Service |
| Location | National Mall, Washington, D.C., United States |
| Nearby landmarks | Near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and the Three Soldiers statue |
| Relative location | South of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and north of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool |
| Site | Constitution Gardens on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. |
| Part of | Vietnam Veterans Memorial |
Physical characteristics | |
| Size | Approximately 6.7 feet tall, 7.9 feet wide, and 5.8 feet long |
| Base size | Granite base approximately 8 inches high and 9.7 feet in diameter |
| Number of statues | Four bronze statues |
Materials | |
| Material | Bronze statues on a granite base |
| Foundry | Art Castings of Colorado |
Appearance | |
| Figure poses | One woman sits on sandbags holding the soldier, another kneels holding his helmet, and the third stands looking up toward the sky |
| Figure identity | The standing woman is African American |
| Landscape feature | Eight yellowwood trees surround the memorial |
History and restoration | |
| 20th anniversary plan | Around 2013, Evans and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund planned an underground education center covering the women's memorial, the Three Soldiers, and the Wall |
| 30th anniversary events | In 2023, a candlelight ceremony was held and Diane Carlson Evans gave the keynote address |
| 25th anniversary events | In 2018, there was a candlelight remembrance ceremony, a storytelling program for children, and multiple speakers |
| Education center | The Education Center at The Wall; the plan was cancelled in 2018 due to lack of funding |
| Dedication date | 11 November 1993 |
| Memorial tour before dedication | The sculpture toured the United States before dedication |
| Post-dedication activity | Annual anniversary gatherings have been held at the memorial since installation |
| Dedication events | A women's march down Constitution Avenue and a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery |
| Dedication attendance | About 25,000 people, including Vice President Al Gore and other dignitaries |
Significance | |
| Interpretation | The U.S. Department of Defense said it was the first memorial in the nation's capital to exclusively recognize the patriotic service of American women, both military and civilian |
Other | |
| Inscriptions | "Glenna Goodacre Sculptor/(copyright symbol)", "1993 Vietnam Women's Memorial Project, Inc.", and the foundry mark |
| Replica | A life-size copy exists at Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park in Angel Fire, New Mexico |
| Categories | National Mall; Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C.; Vietnam War |