Continuing from Part I of this story... (You can read Part I here)In April 1993, during the First Session of the 103rd Congress, David E. Bonoir (D-MI) introduced a bill calling for the minting of "coins in commemoration of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Memorial." The bill did not include mention of the commemoration of the Year of the Veteran as in the Waters' bill of the 102nd Congress.
The Bonoir bill called for up to 500,000 Silver Dollars in Proof and Uncirculated versions (reduced from Waters' call for 1 million coins).
The bill did not include the "Findings" section of the previous bills. In terms of design review and selection, The Secretary of the Treasury continued to be charged with making the final selections, but was now to do so in consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (vs. the Chairperson of the Vietnam Veterans of America Advisory Board); the designs were to be reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Advisory Committee.
The surcharge on each coin was raised to $10 (from $7), with the collected funds going to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund ("VVMF") "to assist the Fund's efforts to raise an endowment to be a permanent source of support for the repair, maintenance, and addition of names to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial." (A shift from veteran's assistance programs to the Memorial.)
The bill was referred to the House Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs, with a further referral to its Subcommittee on Consumer Credit and Insurance. The bill's 300+ co-sponsors guaranteed its inclusion in the same Subcommittee Hearing that I've discussed in my posts about the Prisoner of War and Women in Military Service coins.
Jan Scruggs, President of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, was in attendance at the Hearing and testified on behalf of the coin proposal. Among his opening comments: "What distinguishes this bill is that this legislation saves the Government money." Quite a compelling opening!
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in November 1982, and has required regular maintenance since its dedication. Mr. Scruggs spent a fair amount of his testimony outlining these needs for the Subcommittee:
"The funds generated will take the place of money that the Government would have to spend for the Memorial. Congress authorized the VVMF to build the Memorial on July 1, 1980. In November 1982, the Memorial was dedicated. In 1984, the Three Serviceman Statue was added along with the flagpole, and all of these elements were built by VVMF through private contributions which we raised from the American people. Tomorrow, of course, will be another addition, the statue representing the women who served in Vietnam.
"In 1984, the VVMF gave the Memorial to the U.S. Government. A memorandum of Conveyance provided that the VVMF would continue significant stewardship duties. These duties include semi-annual ceremonies, providing funds for repair, and restoration of the Memorial, providing funds in case of catastrophic damage to the Memorial and its various elements.
[...]
"What are the Memorial's needs? I have mentioned a few. To provide an even more complete answer we are laying the groundwork for an expert study to be completed this summer giving VVMF an informed perspective about the projected problems over the next 100 years. Repairs to the Memorial, the statues, continuing to add names, replacing the directories of names, holders for the directories of names, also updating and changing the computerized system of names at the Memorial, helping the volunteer guides, and further walkways are examples of some of the projects necessary for future preservation of the Memorial.
[...]
"But one thing is for certain. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national treasure and the VVMF is committed to maintaining and preserving this memorial for future generations. Enacting [the Vietnam Veterans Memorial coin bill] would assure VVMF of the fiscal resources required to follow through on this commitment."
Note: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is visited by over 5 million people per year; for comparison, the Lincoln Memorial is slightly more popular with ~7 million annual visitors.Mr. Scruggs' thorough testimony regarding the Memorial, its ongoing needs and the intended use of collected surcharge funds was well-received by the Subcommittee and appeared to position the coin proposal well.
As with other standalone "American Veterans" bills included in the Hearing, however, the Hearing did not generate a favorable report or further action by the House - things stalled at the Committee level.
A parallel bill to Bonoir's House bill was introduced in the Senate by Robert J. Kerrey (D-NE) in June 1993. It called for the same volume of Silver Dollars (500,000), the same per-coin surcharge ($10) and benefited the same sponsor (VVMF). The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, which reported the bill favorably without amendment. It was postponed indefinitely, however, as Congress shifted its focus to a three-coin "American Veterans" coin program - the coin program that was ultimately approved.
For more about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, visit:
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US National Park Service - Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
1994 Vietnam Veterans Memorial Silver Dollar
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more What If? stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 09/26/2025 11:06 am
