With an estimated 5.6 million visitors each year, the Vietnam Veteran Memorial, also known as ‘The Wall’, is one of the most visited memorials in Washington D.C.. This commemorative landmark was built by the Virginia-based Vietnam Veteran Memorial Fund (VVMF) in honor of the sacrifice, dedication and bravery of those who served in one of the most disruptive wars in American history. The names of more than 58,000 men and women who gave their lives or remain missing can be found inscribed on the black granite wall that was inaugurated on November 13, 1982.
People flock from all over the world to visit this timeless dedication and learn more about the Vietnam War and its veterans. At present, the information provided is only accurately available in English. VVMF initially reached out to TranscribeMe seeking assistance to improve their existing translated documents.
Given the noble nature of their work, we instead offered to translate and standardize their documents into all the languages we provide. We felt it was our moral obligation to support the non-profit organization and help as many visitors as possible to understand the importance of the veterans’ service. Thus, we established a partnership with the non-profit to translate their memorial site fact sheets into the following nine languages with our best-in-class transcription translation services:
- Vietnamese
- Chinese
- Japanese
- Korean
- French
- German
- Spanish
- Italian
- Portuguese
We couldn’t be more proud of this partnership and are very pleased to have this opportunity to give back through the power of our global transcriber community. There is no contribution too small for such a cause, and so should you wish to show your solidarity with the VVMF, here are a few ways you can engage with them too:
1. Wall of Faces – Over the last 10 years, VVMF have been on a mission in search of photos of the veterans named on The Wall. They hope to source at least one photo to match each of the near 60,000 names and are down to needing the last 1,200 photos to complete the task.
While these remaining photos are likely to be the hardest to find, they do require volunteer support to source these final pictures. For more information on which ones are still needed, To view which photos are still missing by state, you can visit this page and submit a photo here.
2. In Memory – This branch of the program serves to honor Vietnam war veterans who, after returning home, later died of PTSD-linked suicide, Agent Orange-related illnesses or of other causes related to their service. Every year, the VVMF hosts a ceremony on the memorial site to induct new veterans into the In Memory Honor Roll.
They require help with spreading the word about this program so as to honor as many Vietnam veterans as possible. This can easily be done by talking to your local VVA chapter, visiting a VFW or American Legion hall, reaching out to local media or just sharing information through your social media channels.
3. The Wall That Heals – This refers to a mobile exhibit and education center that includes a scale replica of The Wall. Each year from March to November, VVMF travels to a new community almost every weekend. They are always in need of local volunteers to help out with setting up the exhibit and assist visitors as The Wall That Heals makes its way across the country. You can find this year’s tour schedule here.
