Home > Vietnam War > Jan Scruggs Biography

Born in 1950
Bowie, Maryland

American Vietnam War veteran; cofounder of Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

Bob Doubek, VVMF cofounder.

Vietnam veteran Jan C. Scruggs is the person most responsible for the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a Washington, D.C., monument that pays tribute to the 58,000 American men and women who died in the Vietnam War. Scruggs's efforts to build the memorial began in 1979, when he established the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Over the next three years, he and other dedicated volunteers worked tirelessly to see their vision become a reality. During this time they encountered several major obstacles, ranging from financial difficulties to controversy over the proposed memorial design. But Scruggs and his allies persevered, and in 1982 the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was formally dedicated.