The originals molds of this statue are housed at MARS ( Museum and Archaeological Regional Storage ) with more than twenty-five-thousand-square-foot of warehouse space, are rows upon rows of steel cases, white acid-free Hollinger boxes, and rolling carts that hold the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection. The National Park Service has defined MARS as a storage facility and keeps it closed to the general public.

The Three Soldiers statue, unveiled on Veterans Day, 1984, was designed by Frederick, who placed third in the original memorial design competition.

Artist intent: I see the wall as a kind of ocean, a sea of sacrifice that is overwhelming and nearly incomprehensible in the sweep of names. I place these figures upon the shore of that sea, gazing upon it, standing vigil before it, reflecting the human face of it, the human heart.

Their true heroism lies in these bonds of loyalty in the face of their awareness and their vulnerability.

The statue and the Wall appear to interact with each other.

This soldier is slightly less specific in the service representation of his gear and uniform, but he appears to be a U.S. Army Soldier, as he wears a Tropical ("Boonie") Hat, which was widely worn by Army combat personnel in Vietnam

What has come to be called survivor guilt underpins thousands of apologies left for dead comrades.

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. And yet they are each alone. Their strength and their vulnerability are both evident.

For the majority of Vietnam veterans who go to the memorial alone, however, the journey has offered a release from a sense of isolation. Some have left notes that speak of their arrival as a homecoming. Others have sought the expiation of guilt, another traditional impetus to pilgrimage.

In order to portray the major ethnic groups that were represented in the ranks of U.S. combat personnel that served in Vietnam, the statue's three men are purposely identifiable as Euorpean American (the lead man), African American (man on right), and Latin American (man on left).

The statue and the Wall appear to interact with each other, with the soldiers looking on in solemn tribute at the names of their fallen comrades.

Noted sculptor Jay Hall Carpenter, Hart's assistant on the project, explains the sculpture was positioned especially for that effect: "We carried a full-size mockup of the soldiers around the memorial site trying many locations until we hit upon the perfect spot. It was here that the sculpture appeared to be looking over a sea of the fallen."

These three figures were based on six actual young men models, of which two (the Caucasian, and the African-American) were active-duty Marines at the time that the sculpture was commissioned.

The Caucasian figure was modeled after James E. Connell, III, then a Corporal in the Marines; the African-American figure was modeled after three men, Marine Corporal Terrance Green, Rodney Sherrill and Scotty Dillingham; the Hispanic figure was modeled after Guillermo Smith De Perez DeLeon.

In 2010 the VVMF hired New Arts Foundry to complete a $100,000 restoration of the Three Servicemen statue.

VVMF takes an active role concerning the physical needs of The Wall, The Three Servicemen statue and flagpole, and the rest of the three-acre site on which the Vietnam Veterans Memorial rests.

Services provided by VVMF include the insurance of The Wall against damages, provision of copies of the Directory of Names to assist visitors on-site, Wall cleaning and maintenance. VVMF also adds names to The Wall and makes status changes for those whose remains have been returned home.

On an annual basis, VVMF inscribes new names on the Memorial. We also change the symbols denoting status on The Wall of those listed as Missing in Action as remains are recovered from Vietnam. We pay for the updates and production of new editions of the Name Directories and provide copies to the National Park Service (NPS) for use at The Wall. VVMF also provides other assistance as needed, ranging from light bulbs to supplies and recognition for the Volunteer Guides. VVMF also provides insurance to repair any catastrophic damage to the Memorial. We coordinate and co-sponsor Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies at The Wall with NPS.

The Three Soldiers statue was designed to supplement the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, by adding a more traditional component such as a statue that depicts warriors from that war.
The statue, unveiled on Veterans Day, 1984, was designed by Frederick, who placed third in the original memorial design competition.

On Friday evening of Memorial Day weekend a Candle light vigil is held by Rolling Thunder® Inc. with the Gold Star Mothers and family members starting at the apex of The Wall, then visiting the Nurses statue ending at the statue of the Three Soldiers.

This man on the left wears no body armor, and is armed only with an M60 machine gun, and he carries two separate belts of 7.62mm machine gun ammunition draped and criss-crossed over his torso. He is also wearing an M17 Protective (Gas) Mask carrier on his left thigh, although U.S. troops infrequently wore or used gas masks in Vietnam.

Now The Three Soldiers also stand guard over the “In Memory Plaque” intended to honor those Vietnam veterans who died after service in Vietnam, but as a direct result of that service, and whose names are not eligible for placement on the Memorial because of Department of Defense policies. It was dedicated on November 10, 2004.

The man on the right wears combat equipment consistent with a U.S. Army Soldier, and specifically, a Type M69 body armor vest, which was the primary armor vest used mainly by U.S. Army personnel in Vietnam, from about 1967 on. His M69 armor vest is unsecured, and worn fully open at the front, which was a typical fashion of troops in Vietnam, as a measure in which to promote ventilation (in spite of reducing the vest's overall protective levels).

Navajo Code Talker

The statue represents the camaraderie and the closeness of the grunt. Not Anglo, African, Hispanic or Native American, but flesh, bone and blood! They all shared everything and they all bleed the same color . . . RED! Just doing their job for their Country and Flag. Words by Jay Hirsch (68-69)