Have you ever been to the Vietnam Memorial? If not, I hope you have the pleasure of seeing it one day. It can be awe-inspiring and all too overwhelming to see the 58,272 names engraved onto a wall made of polished black marble. I’ve been able to see the wall a few times, and every time it is a humbling experience. The Memorial was designed by Maya Lin. Here is an article in which she is interviewed.
To allow those who don’t have the chance to visit the Memorial in Washington, D.C., a few Vietnam Veterans got together to build a replica. “The Moving Wall” replica is half the size of the original, and has been touring the nation for nearly 30 years! There are now two replicas that tour the nation from April through November. They stay at each location for about a week. Click here to see their schedule.
The residents of Fort Collins, CO were lucky enough to have “The Moving Wall” set-up in a town park over the Memorial Day Weekend. I pasted three pictures together above so you could see what I saw as I stood back. So many people from around the area came to see the wall. This is just a fraction of them. The green tent in the picture housed volunteers who helped citizens find their loved-ones names on the wall. A volunteer stood out front of the tent, slowly reading the names and ranks of the deceased. The gold star on the podium represents the fallen.
It was interesting that “The Moving Wall” was set-up at this large, highly-trafficked park. From the center of the parking lot, if you looked left, you’d see the Memorial. If you looked right, you’d see children playing and laughing. It was the greatest feeling to know that the men and women whose names were written on the wall were being honored in two ways: the citizens who came to acknowledge their sacrifice, and those who came to enjoy the freedoms their sacrifices afforded us. I saw one father and son (probably about 4-years-old) walking to the wall as I was leaving. I heard the father say, “I want to talk to you about what we’re about to do. You’re going to see a lot of names on the wall…” As our distance separated, I was left out of the rest of the conversation, but couldn’t help think of what a great example that father was. First, they went straight to the wall from the car, saving the playground for afterward, and second, he was doing his best to instill a sense of history, gratitude, acknowledgement, and awareness in his child.
A Little History
The names on the wall are arranged according to the date of death, starting with the year 1955 in the middle and extending to the right through the year 1968 and looping back to the left side for the years 1968 to 1975. The man below explained to me that the significance is that the names go from high in the center and down to the right into the ground. They then start from the ground on the left and go up (to the center) to Heaven. I haven’t seen that written on either “The Moving Wall” website or “The Wall U.S.A.” websites, but “The Wall U.S.A.” does discuss the fact that the names are arranged chronologically starting in the center, going down to the right, and then picking back up on the bottom left and heading up to the center again, almost creating a circle of names.
Unfortunately, I didn’t catch his name, but I do know that he is an Army Veteran, with 21 years of active service. When I told him I was a Marine Veteran, he said that even though he jokes and plays into the inter-service rivalry, we are all brothers and sisters in arms, and we are all there for each other when in need. I completely agree. He also mentioned that no matter what theater (location) a service member was deployed to, we all have a connection that is irreversible. He said that no life lost in any theater was a life wasted. He left me with a Marine “Semper Fi”, and I left him with an Army “Hooah”.
This man is a Naval Veteran I came across. He was very proud he served our great country. A humble and kind man.
I wish I had the time to bring stories and names of the many veterans who visited the Memorial today. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to do that at a later date. There is so much to learn from our veterans, and once they are gone, there stories will be, as well, unless we take the time to ask veterans about them, listen to them, and write them down.
I was blessed this Memorial Day. I hope you were, too.
Resources:
The Wall U.S.A.: Information about the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial
The Moving Wall
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