Remembering Other

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., pays tribute to the 58, 220 service members of the U.S. armed forces killed or missing in action during the American war in Vietnam (1954–75). The memorial, sometimes called The Wall, is a popular destination for American tourists who wish to honor those who died for their country. Few Americans, however, are aware of the enormous human cost of the war on the Vietnamese people. Officials of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam have estimated that 1.1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters, and some 250, 000 South Vietnamese soldiers, died in combat. In addition to military casualties, more than 2 million civilians perished during the war.