The design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was selected from a national design competition. There were four criteria for the design: 1. be reflective and contemplative in character; 2. harmonize with its surroundings; 3. contain all 57,939 names of those who died in the conflict or were still missing; and 4. make no political statement about the war (The Vietnam Veteran’s…).

There were 1,421 design entries. Each design w

Maya Lin’s design for the wall included the names of those who died to be listed in chronological order of their deaths. Some Vietnam veterans disagreed. They thought that her design would mean the names would be scattered all over the wall, making it virtually impossible to find a particular name. Vietnam veterans wanted the names to be in alphabetical order. Until, that is, the veterans found that there were over 600 Smiths and 16 James Jones. They realized that by having the names listed in alphabetical order, the wall would look like a phonebook listing, destroying the loss that each name carried. Vietnam veterans realized that Lin’s design was the correct way to list the names (Feldman, Downs, McManus, 463).

Since the completion of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, there have been 6 groups of names added to the wall. The first group was added in 1983 with 68 names; the second group was added in 1984 with 15 names; the third group was added in 1986 with 110 names; the fourth group was added in 2001 with six names; the fifth group was added in 2002 with three names; and the sixth group was added in 2003 with six names (Stones and Mortar).

as given a number to keep the author’s identity anonymous. All 1,421 designs were displayed in an aircraft hanger at Andrews Air Force Base. There were 8 jurors, each were internationally recognized artists and designers. They narrowed the original 1,421 designs down to 232 and then narrowed down again to 39. The jury finally selected Entry Number 1,026 because it clearly met the spirit and requirements of the design. The designer of Entry Number 1,026 was Maya Ying Lin (The Vietnam Veteran’s…).

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