The Three Soldiers

The Three Soldiers (also known as The Three Servicemen) is a bronze statue on the Washington, DC National Mall commemorating the Vietnam War. The grouping consists of three young men, armed and dressed appropriately for the Vietnam War era, purposely identifiable as Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic. It was designed to complement the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, by adding a more traditional component. The statue, unveiled on Veterans Day, 1984, was designed by Frederick Hart, who placed third in the original design competition.

Negative reactions to Maya Lin's initial design for the Memorial wall standing alone were so strong that several Congressmen complained, and Secretary of the Interior James G. Watt refused to issue a building permit. Hart's sculpture was commissioned to accompany the wall as a compromise measure to appease those who wanted a more traditional approach. Lin was furious at the idea of adulteration of her design and the resulting work was designed to stand away from the memorial wall at a distance so as to minimize the impact on her design. Still, Lin refused to attend the dedication of the sculpture. A replica of the sculpture was created and was placed and dedicated on July 12, 2008 in Apalachicola, Florida.