About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

GAO-24-107080 1 (2024-09-19)

handle is hein.gao/gaoqux0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Why This Matters 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. Source: vanhurck/stock.adobe com. GAO-24-107080 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. Page 1 GAO-24-107080 Vietnam Veterans Memorial Page 1 GAO-24-107080 Vietnam Veterans Memorial

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most