The first step in establishing the Memorial was the selection of an appropriate site. Congress provided legislative authority for siting the Memorial in the prime area of the national capital, known as Area I, which includes the National Mall. The National Park Service (NPS), the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission approved selection of the Rainbow Pool site at the east end of the Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. President Clinton dedicated the Memorial site during a formal ceremony on Veterans Day 1995.

The first step in establishing the Memorial was the selection of an appropriate site. Congress provided legislative authority for siting the Memorial in the prime area of the national capital, known as Area I, which includes the National Mall. The National Park Service (NPS), the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission approved selection of the Rainbow Pool site at the east end of the Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. President Clinton dedicated the Memorial site during a formal ceremony on Veterans Day 1995.