Photo By Sgt. Natalie Pantalos | Doug Davies, a U.S. Navy veteran, poses in front of The Wall That Heals hosted by the...... read more read more
COLUMBUS – The National Veterans Memorial Museum in Columbus, Ohio hosted the Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica, The Wall That Heals, over the Memorial Day weekend for veterans, family members and the public to visit and honor fallen service members. The Wall has been displayed at nearly 700 communities throughout the nation and brings thousands of veterans and mourners the opportunity to visit in order to find healing.
The Wall is 375 feet in length and engraved with more than 58,000 names of dead and missing servicemembers from the Vietnam War. Volunteers at the event assisted visitors in locating a name on the wall using a directory. Visitors were also encouraged to making an etching of the name to take home with them.
The Wall is accompanied by a mobile Education Center that features a timeline of the war, photos of servicemembers that listed Columbus as their home and a display of items that have been left at The Wall in Washington, DC. The exhibit also includes a plaque that reads, “In Memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice.” It recognizes those terminally affected by Agent Orange exposure, PTSD, suicide, cancer and other causes.
As the generation of veterans from the Vietnam Era advance in age, it is increasingly difficult for them to visit the national memorial in Washington, DC. Therefore, the traveling replica enables many who can no longer travel easily the opportunity to experience the impact a visit to The Wall can have.
Drew Martensen, a U.S. Marine Corps purple heart combat veteran, had not seen The Wall since 1988. He said that every time he visits it helps him to process and make peace with his experiences. It previously prompted him to reconnect with friends he served with and even write a novel. He would like every Vietnam Veteran to have the same opportunity.
Doug Davies, a U.S. Navy veteran, was grateful to be able to pay tribute to fallen comrades on The Wall while staying close to home. He usually makes a memorial motorcycle ride with friends to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC four times a year but has not been able to do so recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
National Veterans Memorial Museum Marketing Director Tammy Brown said, “A majority of veterans residing in Ohio are Vietnam War Veterans, so we expect many of them to come out to honor battle buddies who didn’t come home, families of servicemen and women lost in Vietnam and those who are interested in learning more about what it means to serve as well as our country’s history.”
More information on The Wall That Heals can be found at www.vvmf.org/The-Wall-That-Heals.
| Date Taken: | 05.31.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2021 14:53 |
| Story ID: | 397960 |
| Location: | COLUMBUS, OHIO, US |
| Hometown: | COLUMBUS, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 297 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica Hosted in Columbus, by SGT Natalie Pantalos, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
