VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL COLLECTION

Frequently Asked Questions (continued)

WHEN DID PEOPLE START LEAVING THINGS?
There is a story which says that a Purple Heart Medal was thrown into the concrete in 1982 as the foundation was being constructed. The person who donated the Purple Heart was said to be a Vietnam veteran who had a brother who also served there as a U.S. Navy pilot. The pilot was killed and posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal. We have documentation that suggests that there were substantial numbers of items left from the earliest days of the Memorial's opening.

HOW HAS THE NUMBER OF ITEMS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS?
The peak years of the collection were 1992 and 1993; the collection grew by 7,000 artifacts in both of those years. Since then, the numbers have leveled off, but thousands of items are still left every year. The numbers are now driven in part by events on the Washington, D.C. Mall and the greater D.C. area. It is not unusual for visitors to Washington, D.C. to leave some evidence of their presence at the Memorial. We will discuss some of the changes in the collection in future Reader's Series articles.

WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST AND THE SMALLEST ITEMS LEFT?
The largest is a painting on a sliding glass door which was left in association with a reproduction of a full-size tiger cage. The painting shows a scene in Vietnam and lists the names of all of the U.S. Department of Defense, Vietnam War POW and MIA's. The glass door is nearly 9' high and 5' wide. The tiger cage is currently on display at the Smithsonian Institution's, Museum of American History. The second contender is a custom-built Harley-Davidson motorcycle left at the Memorial by a group of Wisconsin citizens and Vietnam veterans. As to the smallest, there are many pebbles, coins, tokens, rings, small badges, and commemorative pins in the collection; it is difficult to say with certainty which is the smallest.

WHAT ARE THE MOST SURPRISING AND/OR CURIOUS ITEMS LEFT?
A few that come to mind are:

  • The storm door and tiger cage assemblage mentioned above.

  • A large (about 6' high), abstract assemblage sculpture called "After the Holocaust." This sculpture was left during the initial years of the Memorial's history by a group protesting the U.S.'s atomic energy policies.

  • An abstract painting, about 1' by 2', with a dedication on its reverse to Agent Orange victims.

  • Numerous unit patches that were not authorized by the military but were adopted informally by members of a unit. These are often extremely rare.

  • A brown teddy bear which was left at the wall without any clothes or adornments. According to witnesses, as he sat at the wall, visitors "dressed" him with various accoutrements, such as a canteen, a bayonet, and a veterans' jacket.

  • The only Medal of Honor (according to our research) ever voluntarily returned to the Government by its recipient. The donor, a former Army chaplain, left his Medal in protest of U.S. mid-1980s involvement in Central America.

  • A great many photographs taken "In Country" that show various aspects of the life of the common soldier in Vietnam.

  • A small, faded portrait photograph of a North Vietnamese Army soldier and a young girl. (Perhaps his daughter?) The photo was left by an American veteran, along with a letter in which the veteran told of his encounter with the man in the photograph.

  • A "show" Harley-Davidson motorcycle, left during Memorial Day, 1995 by motorcycle enthusiasts from Wisconsin. The license plate is stamped "HERO." The plate was summarily retired by the governor of Wisconsin. The bike's extended fork is festooned with 37 dog tags which are representative of the 37 casualties and missing in action of Wisconsin. The body of the bike is painstakingly painted with Vietnam scenes.

  • Military special skills badges, combat awards, and the like that are traditionally donated to military museums or bequeathed to family.

This list is by no means exhaustive; the collection is made up of thousands of historically significant and fascinating artifacts.


IS THE VVMC OPEN TO THE PUBLIC?
The Musuem Resource Center facility is not open to the general public; it is open to researchers and members of the press on assignment. Portions of the collection can be viewed on this web page or in the temporary exhibitions listed below.

HAS THE COLLECTION EVER BEEN EXHIBITED?
The following temporary exhibitions have included portions of the collection:

  • "Personal Legacy: The Healing of a Nation," at the National Museum of American History in Washington DC, from October 1992 to the present.

  • "Gathered at the Wall: America and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial" at the Museum of Our National Heritage, Lexington, MA from October 30, 1994 to May 29, 1995.

  • "A Place of Tribute: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial," at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, MI from May 13, 1995 to January 21, 1996.

  • "Conflicts Since 1945," at the Imperial War Museum, London, England, from May 1996 to the present.

  • "Vietnam Memories: Stories from the Wall," at the Jersey Explorers Children's Museum in East Orange, NJ from July 1996 to the present.

Other exhibitions are being planned.

WILL THERE EVER BE A MUSEUM FOR THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL COLLECTION?
There are no plans at present for a Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection Museum.

MAY I DONATE MONEY TO THE COLLECTION FOR PRESERVATION AND EXHIBITIONS?
Yes. The contributions page explains how this can be done.

WILL THE VVMC EVER PRESENT AN EXHIBITION IN MY CITY, I.E., A TRAVELING EXHIBITION?
The VVMC staff, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and the Jersey Explorer Children's Museum are currently considering transforming the "Vietnam Memories" exhibition into a "traveler" exhibition.

Other exhibitions are also being planned.

WILL THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE EVER DISCONTINUE RETRIEVING OBJECTS FROM THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL?
There are no plans at present to discontinue.

WHY WILL THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NOT ACCEPT OBJECTS VIA THE POSTAL SERVICE?
Objects are not taken through the mail because they lack the physical experience of a person leaving something at the Memorial. Many people bring objects to leave and find themselves unable to do so, while others bring nothing and then develop a spontaneous tribute which they leave at the Memorial. This could be as simple as a message on a popsicle stick to leaving a piece of uniform that the person was wearing. It is this interaction with the memorial that makes this collection unique.

TO WHOM CAN I GO FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MEMORIAL?
For additional information concerning the Memorial, may I suggest that you contact the following:

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
815 Fifteenth Street, N.W., Suite 600
Washington, D.C. 20005
202-393-0090 or Fax: 202-986-3636
VVMF@aol.com and

Women's Memorial Project, Inc.
20001 S Street, N.W., Suite 302
Washington, D.C. 20009
202-328-7253 or Fax 202-986-3636
VWMPDC@aol.com

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Last Updated: June 5, 1997
http://www.nps.gov/mrc/vvmc/faq2.htm
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