The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a place of unexplainable power, many visitors say. Volunteer guides often speak of it as “Wall magic.” The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a place of unexplainable power, many visitors say. Volunteer guides often speak of it as “Wall magic.” Jan Scruggs touching names on the Wall, which he raised funds to help build after returning home from the Vietnam War.Credit… Supported by By John Ismay Photographs and Video by Rod Lamkey Jr. Reporting from Washington The black granite slabs of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington are never without visitors. Better known simply as “the Wall,” the stones are carved with the names of more than 58,000 men and women who died during combat that spanned Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos from 1958 to 1975. Now, 50 years after that war’s end, the Wall continues to draw more than five million visitors every year. To take it all in, you would have to stand in the middle of the memorial at the wall’s apex, facing the stone. The first American to die in the war appears to your right. What follows are names listed in alphabetical order by date of death. As they reach the tapered end of the eastern wall on the right, the chronology wraps around and continues at the far left end of the western wall until it meets the apex. Those whose bodies were recovered are marked with a small diamond. Those whose remains have yet to be found have a small cross by their names. When they are located, identified and repatriated, the crosses will be chiseled into diamonds. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.