Jan Scruggs went to Vietnam in 1969 to serve as a rifleman in the U.S. Army. By the end of his service, he had received the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantry Badge, and an award for gallantry. After the war, he researched post-traumatic stress, which led to him testify before congress in support of establishing the nationwide Vet Center Program. In 1979, Scruggs decided he wanted to create a memorial to all the Americans who died in the Vietnam War in order to help the country heal. Three years later, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was completed in Washington D.C.