The Vietnam Graffiti Project, a non-profit 501 ( C ) ( 3 ) Virginia-based organization, was established in 1997 by Art and Lee Beltrone of Keswick, VA to preserve historic Vietnam War artifacts they found aboard the troopship General Nelson M. Walker.

    The grass roots volunteer project was formed to the assist the Maritime Administration with removal of artifacts, including graffiti-inscribed berthing unit canvases, and transferal to museums throughout the country. Recipients included the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, museums of the military services, and state and local historical societies. Click on the following link to read an article from the Smithsonian Magazine about the story of the project's origins. (Smithsonian Magazine, October 2004)

    In 2005, the Walker was scrapped in Brownsville, Texas and project volunteers recovered hundreds of graffiti-marked canvases and other artifacts for the VGP’s Marking Time: Voyage to Vietnam exhibit. The exhibit was developed in partnership with the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

    The VGP continues to find and interview soldiers and Marines who went to Vietnam aboard the Walker and other troopships. Audio interviews of troop passengers are conducted with assistance from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Voyage stories are included in the Marking Time exhibit and will be shared with military history repositories.