On the south side of War Memorial Auditorium is Vietnam Veterans Park. In the center are three young American soldiers sculpted by Alan LeQuire in 1986. The Vietnam Memorial is a chilling reminder of the United States involvement in a catastrophic, unpopular and costly war. From 1959 until April of 1975, 2.7 million Americans participated in the Vietnam War. More than 58,000 lost their lives. 1,300 Tennessee soldiers were killed.