The Vietnam War Memorial

National Vietnam War Veterans Day is an opportunity for national reconciliation. It offers a chance to recognize the fortitude and commitment that Vietnam veterans showed and continue to show every day. March 29th is an opportunity to thank and honor the 2.7 million service members who served in Vietnam.

​Honoring the men and women who served in the controversial Vietnam War, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial chronologically lists the names of 58,318 Americans who gave their lives in service to their country.

After watching the film The Deer Hunter, Vietnam veteran Jan Scruggs decided that his fellow soldiers needed a tangible symbol of recognition from America of their service and sacrifice. By 1979 a memorial fund was formed, and in 1980 land in Constitution Gardens was authorized for the memorial placement. A design competition was announced, and 21-year-old Yale architecture student Maya Lin earned the unanimous selection.

The central element of Lin's memorial is the shiny black granite wall in a wide V shape, with one "arm" directed toward the Lincoln Memorial and the other toward the Washington Monument. The faces of visitors are reflected in the walls bearing the etched names of the 58,318 men and women who died in combat or are listed as missing in action (MIA).
Those declared dead are marked by a diamond; those MIA are marked by a cross. If the person currently marked as MIA returns alive, a circle is placed around the cross. If his remains are identified, a diamond is superimposed over the cross.

The names of the first men killed (in 1959) start at the highest point of the wall, on the right arm, and continue toward the shorter end. The names resume on the far, short end of the left arm, continuing back toward the junction of the two walls. This way the first deaths and the last deaths (May 15, 1975) meet in the middle. Directories are placed near the wall for visitors to look up names.

The design choice proved controversial, and eventually a flag and figurative sculpture of servicemen was added to the plan. The memorial wall dedication on November 11, 1982, was accompanied by a 56-hour reading at Washington National Cathedral of all the engraved names of the dead.

While The Wall itself has garnered much attention, other features of the memorial site include The Three Serviceman statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial, the In Memory plaque, and a flagpole that flies both the U.S. and the MIA-POW flag. That pole carries the insignia of the five branches of the Armed Forces.

Young, armed, and wearing jungle combat gear, The Three Servicemen's gazes are fixed on the wall. Veterans have stated that while there are distinguishing characteristics for each man, they still feel like they could be any soldier.
The bronze statues were created by artist Frederick Hart, who interviewed dozens of veterans and watched film footage and documentaries from the war so that he could execute an artwork that "bespeaks the bonds of love and sacrifice that is the nature of men at war."

In another grove of trees sits the Vietnam Women's Memorial, another figurative sculpture depicting three nurses and one wounded soldier. One nurse sits upon sandbags, holding the wounded man while another searches the sky for help—perhaps a helicopter airlift. A third one kneels behind the sandbags, forlornly holding an empty helmet in her hand.
The artist, Glenna Goodacre, has stated that in this vignette, the young man is saved by the actions of these women—she wanted this artwork "to be a monument for the living." The names of the eight women military women lost in the war are inscribed on the wall, and there are eight trees in the sculpture's grove.

The In Memory plaque, dedicated in 2004, is near The Three Servicemen and honors the men and women who died as a result of their service in Vietnam.

Many who visit leave behind items in memoriam to those that have served. The military dog tags, flowers, war medals, photographs, and even favorite toys left behind aid the healing process.

https://www.nps.gov/vive/learn/historyculture/vvmoverview.htm​​

Vietnam Veterans Memorial is located north of the Lincoln Memorial near the intersection of 22nd Street NW and Constitution Avenue NW.

The memorial is free and open 24 hours a day.

The memorial includes the names of over 58,000 servicemen and women who gave their lives in service in the Vietnam conflict. The memorial includes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, the Three Servicemen statue and the Vietnam Women's Memorial.​

​Markesman Group, listed as one of Inc. 5000 fastest growing private companies, announced that Chris Andersen has joined the company as Proposal Manager. In this role, Andersen will be responsible for planning, leading, directing and growing Markesman’s proposals and proposal related programs.
 
“We are thrilled to have Chris join the Markesman team, his knowledge and experience make him a strong asset as we continue to strengthen our position as a leader in the cyber and intelligence business.  We are excited to utilize Chris’ expertise to help serve our customers and their missions.”
 
Andersen joined Markesman in 2019 to provide contract support as an Executive-level ISR Training Specialist, bringing nearly three decades of experience working in the Defense industry. A respected leader in the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance field, Andersen has served as a technical advisor to various government agencies solving the nation's most difficult challenges. Over the past several years, Chris has provided proposal and business development consulting services to the biggest industry leaders. Andersen earned his MBA with a concentration in Data Analytics from Louisiana State University. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Project Management and is pursuing a PhD in Higher Education Leadership.

We wanted to express our deepest gratitude and appreciation for our team members and their families. Your dedication to mission and technical prowess has enabled our customers to succeed, over and over again. We love the camaraderie you all have built and the motivation you give each other to learn more and think outside the box.

We thank each and every one of our employees.
​Without your efforts, Markesman wouldn't be where we are today.

With Gratitude,
Dan Markes & Alex Wang

Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture, and society and has been observed in the United States since 1987.  Instead of providing you with a history of the many innovative and entrepreneurial women in history, we would like to hear from you!  Women did not get this far without meaningful conversations and Markesman continues the conversation here. 

Tell us any number of the following and a short reason for your answer.
 
One woman I’m grateful for:
 
One woman I find empowering:
 
One of my favorite women from history:
 
Who is a woman from your family you would like more people to know about?
​What makes her so amazing?
 
Who is a woman from history that we don’t talk enough about? 

​We look forward to reading about the women who's made an impact in your life!