06/30/2025
The Three Servicemen Statue is a heroic, traditional depiction of those who served in Vietnam. The statue is part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site and was unveiled on Veterans Day in 1984, two years after The Wall’s completion. A flagpole that flies the American and POW/MIA flag was dedicated at the same time. Through the years, the Three Servicemen Statue has remained a powerful tribute honoring Vietnam veterans. 2019 marks its 35th Anniversary.
Here are things you should know about the Three Servicemen Statue.
When the design was chosen for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall), it was the unanimous choice of the judging committee. However, its unusual and abstract design did not appeal to everyone. The controversy over the Vietnam Veterans Memorial design threatened to derail it ever being built, so a compromise would have to be reached.
In January 1982, there was a compromise. The Wall would be built as planned, but two traditional elements would be added to it—a flagpole and a statue.
On July 1, 1982 Frederick Hart was selected to design the sculpture. Hart was a well-known and respected sculptor whose team had placed third in the open design competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Hart spent two and a half years completing the statue.
The Three Servicemen Statue is cast in bronze, differing from other monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. It is finished with a patina which provided a variety of subtle color variations. The flesh areas are a rich caramel bronze and the uniforms are a slightly olive color. High polish is accented on the eyes, hair, buttons, and pieces of military equipment.
Hart used 2,500 pounds of clay to make the statue. The statue itself is placed on a granite base, which makes it eight feet high.
Hart said this in describing the sculpture: “They are young. The contrast between the innocence of their youth and the weapons of war underscores the poignancy of their sacrifice. There is about them the physical contact and sense of unity that bespeaks the bonds of love and sacrifice that is the nature of men at war. . . Their strength and their vulnerability are both evident.”
It was decided that the statue should be placed in a plaza to the southwest of The Wall. It is positioned so it looks as if the three figures are emerging from a grove of trees. Some visitors say they appear to be looking for their friends on The Wall. Others feel they are looking for their own names there.
Once they had determined the location for the statue, Cooper-Lecky, VVMF’s architect-of-record, reworked the walkway system so that the flag could be placed at an intersection in order to create an entranceway.
Hart was confronted with how to work with the simplicity of The Wall. His solution was to keep the figures of smaller scale – as to not interfere with The Wall’s much larger scale. He also wanted the statue to withdraw from The Wall so the men would not infringe upon it.
Hart wanted to ensure accuracy for the details on the uniforms and weaponry. He relied heavily on historians. He was advised by members of the Army Institute of Military History and the Marine Corps Historical Society. Along with employing the help of several experts, he borrowed military gear from Vietnam veterans.
The three figures wear cracked boots and crumpled and tightly rolled fatigue pants. One figure is wearing a worn hat, an overstuffed jacket, and a bandolier full of bullets draped across his chest. The uniforms are representative of all branches of the military and each figure wears a variety of gear.
The bandolier, which holds ammunition, is a design feature that has come under scrutiny. The ammunition is facing upwards, which some claim is inaccurate.
In Dec. of 1993, Frederick Hart wrote a letter to Robert Horton, then the Regional Director of the National Capital Region for the Department of Interior, defending the way he positioned it.
He said that trying to dress and equip the figures was difficult because of the diversity in service member’s habits. He said that units would use things and wear things different from another unit at different places and different times. He met veterans who argued vehemently for the bullets pointing up as for those who argued for the bullets pointing down. He was also further advised that wearing a bandolier was not done at all, since the ammo should be transported in its case. Exceptions would include combat or near-combat situations where it would be slung over one shoulder to be able to quick-feed it into the gun. The wearing of the bandolier crisscrossed “poncho villa” style was not desirable or practical.
While Hart said he did his best to remain faithful to realistic details, his ultimate goal was to “capture the spirit of the Vietnam experience.” As a result, the ammunition on the bandolier is faced upwards.
The statue is cared for and maintained four times a year
Rusty Bernabo, Object Conservator, cleans the Three Servicemen Statue in August, 2019.
As The Wall requires regular cleaning and maintenance, the Three Servicemen Statue needs special care. The statue is exposed to pollen, insects and pollution throughout the year. It receives preventative conservation cleaning four times a year. Russell Bernabo, an Object Conservator, is responsible for cleaning the statue. The cleaning involves buffing with gentle non-ionic detergents and applying corrosion inhibitors.
As time passes, bird droppings can eat through the patina and the patina must be carefully re-coated to not damage the sculpture. Bernabo’s job also involves retrieving spider nests in crevices, usually in the helmets carried by the soldiers. There is also the occasional retrieval of coins from the side pockets of the servicemen where tourists have come to drop spare change.
“My job is to maintain the artist’s intent,” Bernabo told VVMF in 2014. “Restoration means having made the artist happy.”
The Three Servicemen statue also underwent a $100,000 restoration in 2010.
Today, the 12-foot-by-8-foot flag flies from a 60-foot pole, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in honor of the men and women who served in Vietnam. The flagstaff, donated by The American Legion, features an inscription and the seals of the five branches of military service at its base: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. An inscription on the flagpole base reads: “This flag represents the service rendered to our country by the veterans of the Vietnam War. The flag affirms the principles of freedom for which they fought and their pride in having served under difficult circumstances.”
