Veterans Memorial Fund Accomplished Its Mission ... and Pressed On

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

Finally, just before the 15th anniversary of The Wall, VVMF went before Congress to get permission to build a visitors education center near the memorial, which is second to the Lincoln Memorial as the most visited memorial in Washington, D.C.

That brings us to the here and now, which according to Arbogast looks a lot like it did back in 1979 — at least as far as fundraising is concerned. VVMF is approaching major donors and corporate sponsors — mainly associated with businessmen who are Vietnam vets — to fund the proposed $85 million center, while individual donors are still sending in smaller gifts to support the upkeep of the original memorial.