Managed by a small volunteer Board of Directors whose sole purpose
is maintenance and upkeep of the Memorial. The Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the city’s truly hidden treasures, representing a solemn and fitting testament to the sacrifices of 648 native sons. Located at Spruce and Front streets at Penn’s Landing, the Memorial is an amphitheater with facing polished, charcoal g
rey granite from Minnesota. The south wall is a semi-circle containing the 648 names, slightly raised in the center on a higher plane than the 10 opposite granite scene panels, include eight images of famous war photographs that were applied from stencils and screens by sandblasting into the granite. The seven-foot-by-five-foot panels depict scenes beginning with the launching of aircraft from a US carrier in August 1964 and concluding with the rescue of Vietnamese refugees in 1975. Between both sides of the Memorial are a series of four raised levels with granite ledges leading up to the south wall bearing the names of those whose “home of record” was Philadelphia. The symbol of the memorial is inscribed in granite near the open front of the site. Morgan, a young architect selected by a Veterans Design Selection Committee, the Memorial was dedicated in 1987 during a period when America started to make amends for failing to honor the sacrifice of Vietnam Veterans. Over the years, the Memorial has been a sanctuary for Veterans to recall their service and remember the sacrifice of those who did not return.
