WASHINGTON — In the early morning, just as the sun breaks over the Capitol dome, a small group of volunteers gathers at the black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial, that heartbreaking slash in the earth by the Lincoln Memorial on the national Mall.
They quietly hook up hoses, attach nozzles and spray down the wall, removing a week’s worth of dust, dirt and debris. Then they fill up buckets with a mild detergent, switch to soft brushes and, starting on either end of the wall, begin to scrub.
Countless fingerprints, smears and tears have accumulated since the last wash, a week ago.
“I have 11 buddies on that wall, including my best friend from high school,” said Steve Nelson, of District Heights, Md., who served in the Army in Vietnam. He was turning on the water this month after the hoses were unkinked and extended.
So many hands have touched the wall over 29 years. Most of these men and women have touched it, too, and it touches them even as they work to keep it clean.
“When I first came back, I thought, my name could have been on this wall,” said Robert Dunlap, a Washington resident who served in-country during 1968 and 1969 and who helped clean the stone walkway.
“When I first came down I could only be here at night,” a not-uncommon behavior of some veterans in the first few years of the wall’s existence, as they sought to mourn alone. “This wall right here brought us together.”
The washing of the dead, with its religious resonances, arose out of frustration. In 1998, dissatisfied with the job that the National Park Service was doing and upset that bird droppings had filled in some of the engraved names, Jan Scruggs of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund took action. He handed 37 toothbrushes to visiting vets from Wisconsin, who scrubbed the filth away.
Members of the Silver Spring chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America and the Air Force Sergeants Association at Andrews Air Force Base stepped in and began monthly cleanings. A little more than a decade ago, the vets and the Park Service began working more closely together, and the organized weekly cleanings began. They expanded to the nearby Three Servicemen statue, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial and, on alternate weekend days, the Korean War Veterans Memorial.
Each year after the cherry blossoms have fallen, until the first snowfall, the volunteers turn up at 6:30 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, long before tourists arrive. The work takes less than an hour. Many military veterans are among the regular volunteers, but there are also church groups, Boy Scouts, college sorority sisters, union members and a few people who visit the capital specifically for this duty.
Cleaning the Wall is a solemn duty, but not a cheerless one. On this particular Sunday morning, the volunteers tease one another, engaging in friendly competition.
“It’s a show of respect,” said Mike Luftman, who was at the site with the Maryland chapter of the motorcycle group Rolling Thunder, which includes many veterans. “These aren’t just names. These are people who gave their lives for the freedom we enjoy. We’ve got to keep it clean.”
The power of the Vietnam Memorial
There are two walls, each 246.75 feet long, composed of 70 inscribed black granite panels. The largest panels have 137 lines of names, while the shortest have one. In all, more than 58,200 names are on the Wall.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund was the power behind the construction of the memorial, which was dedicated Nov. 13, 1982. The VVMF raised nearly $9 million to build the wall through private contributions.
