Students walk by the statue of Hecuba, the legendary Queen of Troy, with a quote by William Shakespeare — spelled "Shakespear" — on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 2017. Richard Vogel/AP hide caption
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Stories About
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Maya Lin, in 1988, examining inverted water table being fabricated for the Civil Rights Memorial she designed to be installed in Montgomery, Alabama. Adam Stoltman hide caption
Maya Lin doesn't like the spotlight — but the Smithsonian is shining a light on her
Nik Wheeler/Corbis Nik Wheeler/Corbis hide caption
The Washington Monument and the dome of the U.S. Capitol Building are visible behind the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va., on Memorial Day. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption
Memorial Day Honor Flights Canceled Because Of Coronavirus Crisis
President Bill Clinton delivers a speech during Memorial Day ceremonies at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1993. Ron Edmonds/AP hide caption
Items left for loved ones at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 2014. Hundreds of thousands of such items have been left behind at the wall in commemoration, according to the National Park Service. Molly Riley/AP hide caption
Watcher At The Wall: One Veteran Finds A Lifeline In All That's Left Behind
Army Specialist Jim McGough with members of his unit in 1971. Then 19, he was photographed by a columnist from The Des Moines Register. Gordon Gammack/The Des Moines Register hide caption
Jan Scruggs gazes up at the names of fellow military service members inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Steve Inskeep/NPR hide caption
Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Founder: Monument Almost Never Got Built
John Wheeler, a former special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, was chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Staff Sgt. Monique Randolph/HO/AFP/Getty Images hide caption