Politics and a vocal opposition that included personal attacks against Diane herself made the memorial project an uphill battle. The Vietnam Women's Memorial can be visited today on the National Mall, just a few hundred yards away from the wall that honors all those lost in that conflict. The idea for the Vietnam Women's Memorial is conceived by Diane Carlson Evans, RN, who served in Vietnam. To place the statue at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project is incorporated as a nonprofit volunteer organization. With the first approval hurdle cleared, fund-raising and education efforts begin.
Second approval is obtained.
The secretary of the interior approves the concept. A public hearing by the Fine Arts Commission rejects the Women's Memorial proposal. The Senate and House submit companion bills authorizing the Vietnam Women's Memorial at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Mall. The political process drags on as House and Senate hearings over the memorial air out the details of the project and debate its ultimate fate. President Reagan signs the Senate bill into law, authorizing the Vietnam Women's Memorial.