A Legacy of Healing and Hope

At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, public memory of the war and its veterans expanded with the addition of the Vietnam Women's Memorial in 1993, the first memorial in the nation's capital to honor women's military service. Sculpted by Glenna Goodacre, it depicts three women representing more than 265,000 military and civilian women who served around the world during the war. Eight surrounding trees represent the eight military women who died in Vietnam, and more than 50 civilian women also died during the war. The memorial was envisioned and led by Diane Carlson Evans and came into being after a ten-year grassroots effort. Its portrayal of women in uniform brings forward historical experiences too often erased from public memory. Goodacre centered the tribute on compassion, anxiety, fatigue, and above all dedication, showing a nurse supported by sandbags as she serves as life support for a wounded soldier across her lap, a standing woman looking upward for a medevac helicopter or help from God, and a kneeling figure staring at an empty helmet in despair and frustration. The wounded soldier, his face half-covered by a bandage, was made anonymous so veterans could identify with him, and though wounded, he will live. First Lieutenant Ann C. Cunningham, U.S.A., served two tours with the Army Nurse Corps as an operating room nurse in 1967-68 and 1969-70, and Margo Looney served with the American Red Cross and is pictured with U.S. Marines in DaNang.

Washington, District of Columbia · United States