Vietnam War Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is located on Spruce Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The location is one of the city’s hidden treasures, representing a solemn and fitting testament to the sacrifices of 646 “native sons.”
The south wall of the memorial is a semi-circle that contains the 646 names slightly raised in the center on a higher plane which is opposite of the north wall. The student group will be able to view the “wall of scenes” which is comprised of 10 panels, which include 8 images of famous war photographs. The panels are seven-foot-by-five-foot and depict scenes beginning with the launching of aircraft from a US carrier in August of 1964 and the concluding scene is the rescue of Vietnamese refugees.
You will find that between both walls that there are a series of four raised levels with granite ledges which lead up to the south wall containing the names of those individuals whose “home of record” was Philadelphia. The memorial was dedicated in 1987.