This Day in History: , Vietnam Veterans br Memorial Dedicated.br November 13, 1982.br Known as "The Wall," br the moving memorial was br designed by Maya Lin, a 21-year-old br Yale University architecture student. .br Made of black granite, the br V-shaped wall holds the names br of the nearly 58,000 Americans br who died in the Vietnam war.br While controversy surrounded the br creation of "The Wall," it quickly became one br of the most-visited memorials in Washington, D.C.br The memorial's design allows for reflection. br Loved ones of the dead often leave tokens br of their grief, including notes and dog tags.br Etchings of the names also br became a commonplace practice.