Vietnam Women's Memorial, Bronze memorial in Constitution Gardens, United States
The Vietnam Women's Memorial is a bronze sculpture on a granite base in Constitution Gardens, Washington. Three uniformed female figures kneel or stand beside a wounded soldier on the ground, surrounded by eight yellowwood trees on a groomed lawn.
The sculpture was dedicated in 1993 and marked the first national monument specifically recognizing the service of women in the Vietnam War. More than 265,000 American women had served in Vietnam between 1964 and 1973 in different military and civilian roles.
The bronze figures wear working uniforms showing nurses and medical staff tending to a wounded soldier. Each tree around the sculpture honors women who worked in military hospitals, communication posts, and air control stations during the years of fighting in Southeast Asia.
The monument stands south of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and north of the Reflecting Pool on open parkland. Visitors reach the site on foot along wide pathways accessible from Constitution Avenue or from the Lincoln Memorial.
Sculptor Glenna Goodacre worked on the design for seven years and used real female veterans as models for the figures. Eight American nurses died during the war in Vietnam, most in helicopter crashes or rocket attacks on field hospitals.
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