Page 1 GAO-24-107080 Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., honors U.S. military
service members who served and died in the Vietnam War. The most prominent
element of the memorial is a nearly 500-foot-long granite wall (the Wall) upon
which are inscribed the names of more than 58,000 U.S. service members who
gave their lives in the war. Dedicated in 1982, the design of the memorial sought
to recognize service members’ sacrifice and begin a healing process after a
divisive and controversial war, and it has since become one of the most visited
sites on the National Mall (see figure 1).
Figure 1: View of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Since 1982, additional names have been added to the Wall, for example, in
cases when errors and omissions were identified, and the Department of
Defense (DOD) continues to receive requests to add names. However, not all
deaths associated with Vietnam War–era military service meet DOD criteria for
inscription on the Wall.
In 2016 and 2020, some members of Congress requested that DOD consider
adding the names of 74 sailors who died in June 1969 when their ship, the USS
Frank E. Evans, was in a collision with an Australian aircraft carrier in the South
China Sea during a multilateral training exercise. DOD has considered adding
the names of the 74 members of the crew of the USS Frank. E. Evans (Evans)
several times, but each time has found that the circumstances of the collision do
not meet the criteria to be added to the Wall.
We were asked to examine the process for determining whether to add names to
the Wall, including those of the 74 members of the Evans crew. This report
describes how DOD reviews requests to add names to the Wall, including of the
74 members of the Evans crew; the process for inscribing new names on the
Wall; and any additional considerations related to making such changes.
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Process and
Considerations for Adding Names to the Wall
-24-107080
Report to the Honorable Charles E. Schumer, Majority Leader, U.S. Senate
19, 2024
