The Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial, dedicated in 1988, honors the almost 3,000 Illinoisans killed or listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War. The center of the Memorial is an eternal flame supported by five vertical gray granite walls, each representing a branch of the armed services. Radiating from the vertical walls are five polished black granite horizontal walls, enclosed by a low circular wall forming five courtyards. The names of the dead and missing in action are carved into the black granite. The “Vietnam Veterans Vigil and Memorial Service” is held on the first full weekend in May, with a Memorial Day observance later in the month. A “Christmas Remembrance” is observed on the first Saturday in December.