One of the most personal and solemn events of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial 20th Anniversary Celebration occurred on the evening of Sunday, November 10th. Family members, friends, and supporters of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial gathered to remember women veterans of the Vietnam era who have passed away in the years since the war. Some of these women died during the war; most have left us in the last few years. All of them are remembered.

As supporters read the names, we reflected on the lives that have been lost, but we also reflected on the bonds that held women veterans together over the years. Husbands read the names of their wives; daughters read the names of their mothers; women read the names of their wartime friends. Many of these women were instrumental in the decade-long struggle to build the Vietnam Women’s Memorial. As we gathered in honor of these women, we celebrated their service and we honored their legacy.