The Three Servicemen Statue, Washington DC

Sometimes this modest statue can be overlooked compared to its counterpart nearby. It’s history is controversial as to the commission compared to the Maya Lin design.

While it is a different approach to a memorial of such high emotion and conceptual impact, it does offer some tangible realism to the soldier experience or at least representation of the human element that was in the jungles of Vietnam.

One high remark here is that it’s the first representation of an African American in sculpted form on the National Mall. The piece was unveiled in 1984.

I think one thing to consider while being in this space is how do these two different approaches merit memorial? What are the impacts of each on you? No wrong answers… only different perspectives and thoughts.

At any rate, it all reminds of us of the cost of a conflict grown into a war and the differences between the decision makers and those affected, the people.

Statue facing the wall with all the soldier s name to commemorate the Vietnam war.
It is impressive. It worse taking a walk here to remember and see.

A place of reflection! Peace and solitude.an experience that one should see before they can't

Part of the Vietnam Wall of Remembrance, located right in front of it. The look in the eyes of the men as they look towards the wall, perhaps looking for the names of the fallen?

I was there when the dedicated the Statue. In 84 we gave the Wall back to the park service President Reagan came on veterans day. To expect the Vietnam Veterans memorial. In the words of Micheal J. Marin and Doc Holliday. Sang it's come down to the 3 of Us the Statue represent the living Vietnam Veterans like me RVN 68-69. An-khe Tet Offensive

There is not a lot to say about this but let me try my best. In a war that ended before I was born, the lasting legacy is still big on our world. I made a special journey just to make sure that I got to see this statue because while I do not know anyone personally who fought, I know that we are still fighting it's ghosts. This is a very important place that we all should go, along with the memorial which is near by.

The community is missing/ not recognizing a service man who modeled for Hart and provided much of the equipment Marine Denis REEN
See article highlights Below By Marla Miller Muskegon Chronicle
Muskegon County Museum
"The Three Servicemen" statue, part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D. C, is shown two years after the Vietnam Wall' completion. Enlarge photo
The tattered green U. S. Marine Corps-issued sea bag, complete with a faded peace sign, arrived at the Muskegon County Museum more than a week ago.
But like a kid on Christmas Eve, the museum's executive director, John McGarry, must wait until later this week to see what is locked inside the Vietnam era artifact. The sea bag's contents will be the focal point of the history museum's summer exhibit, "The Three Servicemen. "
The exhibit, made possible with the help of two of McGarry's longtime friends, tells the little-known story behind the artist's rendering of the Three Servicemen Statue, which stands near The Wall in Washington, D. C. It includes photo panels with labels, uniforms and the equipment used in the design of statue

The Three Servicemen Statue became part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site two years after The Wall's completion. Created by the late artist, Frederick Hart, who was selected for his representational style, the statue grew out of the controversy surrounding the design of The Wall, which some veterans found too abstract.

The year was 1982 and Hart's goal was to design a piece of artwork that would reflect the experiences and service of the Vietnam veteran. He worked with curators at the United States Marine Corps Museum, who provided him with uniforms for the three servicemen and the equipment they carried.

Historian Ken Smith-Christmas worked closely on the project with Hart. At the time Hart was designing the statue, the military did not have an extensive collection of Vietnam-era artillery, uniforms or personal items the soldiers might have used, McGarry said.
So, Smith-Christmas contacted one of his good friends, Marine Denis Reen, who served more than five months in Vietnam in 1969 before being injured. Reen spent two months recuperating in a Japanese hospital and returned home with few belongings.
An amateur military historian and collector of Civil War artifacts, Reen began collecting the items he had used during his Vietnam tour. He found many items at gun shows and military surplus stores.

A display case will protect Reen's belongings, shipped to Muskegon in his original sea bag from his home in Adamstown, Md. There will be a mannequin dressed in uniform and draped with authentic Vietnam era military equipment, McGarry said.

Reen also served as a model for the statue project and is reflected in the soldier standing on the left and holding an M-60 machine gun.

"Hart was pretty dependent on the fact I had all this equipment for a Marine, " Reen said. "In the final version, there were three other people that modeled because he was presenting three different ethnic backgrounds. "

A beautifully done sculpture right near the Vietnam War Memorial. It is quite moving when you see the details that went into the sculpture. Having served in the Army, I enjoyed seeing the detail that went into the uniforms and weapons on the sculpture. Really nicely done and so worth stopping by to see

The Three Soldiers is a bronze statue by Frederick Hart. Unveiled on Veterans Day, November 11,1984 on the National Mall, it is part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial commemorating the Vietnam War. It is the first representation of an African American on the National Mall.