The National Vietnam War Museum project was formalized in 1998 to develop a national venue that would create an atmosphere of learning about the Vietnam War era, and engage people of all ages, nationalities, and political points of view.
In 1999, the museum was incorporated as a 501(c) (3) corporation in the State of Texas and purchased a 12-acre site in Mineral Wells, Texas, approximately 50 miles west of Fort Worth. In addition to establishing a Board of Directors, the museum established a Board of Visitors, prominent individuals selected to advise the Board of Directors and promote the museum’s cause. The museum has also established sponsorship relationships with a number of local and national veterans’ organizations to promote the museum to their memberships.
The museum has been designed to tell the unbiased story of the approximately 2.7 million servicemen and women who served there; the civilian contractors who supported their efforts; the Vietnamese people, their culture and history; and those on the home front, both those who supported and those who protested the war.
