By ASHLEY INGE
TheFlashToday.com
ERATH COUNTY (December 13, 2018) – The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) has announced The Wall That Heals national tour schedule for 2019. The Wall That Heals exhibit includes a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial along with a mobile Education Center. The 2019 tour will begin on Feb. 28, 2019 in San Antonio, and visit 34 communities during the year, including Stephenville. The Wall That Heals exhibit will be at the Stephenville City Park from Thursday, Nov. 7 2019 through Sunday, Nov. 10. 2019. The traveling exhibit honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in the Vietnam War and it bears the names of the more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
Julie Smith, the manager of the Stephenville Tourism and Visitors Bureau, said she is really excited for The Wall That Heals Tour.
“This particular week of the year (Nov. 7 through Nov. 10) is the week right before Veteran’s Day. I know it’s the week that everyone wanted, and I was glad they chose Stephenville because we are planning all kinds of veteran events to showcase The Wall That Heals in 2019,” Smith said.
According to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund press release, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the most visited memorials in our nation’s capital, with nearly 5.3 million visitors each year. However, many Americans have not been able to visit what has become known to many as “The Wall.” VVMF, the nonprofit organization that built The Wall in 1982, wants to give all veterans and their family members across America an opportunity to see the Memorial.
“We received more than 100 applications to host The Wall That Heals in 2019 and we are excited to announce the cities that we’ve selected as hosts for next year. The Wall That Heals mobile exhibit provides thousands of veterans and their family members the chance to visit The Wall and honor and remember those who have served and sacrificed,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of VVMF in the press release. “Hosting the exhibit gives veterans an opportunity for healing and provides an educational experience for the whole community on the impact of the Vietnam War on America.”
Stephenville was only one of three Texas cities to be chosen for The Walls That Heals 2019 Tour including San Antonio and Lewisville.
“They weighed our city against other cities that had applied and I believe we were chosen because of weather and our geographical location. They’re hoping for a mild November for this stop of the tour and I’m very honored that they chose Stephenville,” Smith said. “They had a form that we submitted that asked for different things like where in our town we would showcase it, population, geographical area, that kind of criteria and it was just a form that we filled out that was affiliated with their website.”
The three-quarter scale Wall replica is 375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at its tallest point. With the replica at this size, visitors are able to experience The Wall rising above them as they walk towards the apex, a key feature of the design of The Wall in D.C.
According to the press release, like the original Memorial, The Wall That Heals is erected in a chevron-shape and visitors are able to do name rubbings of individual service member’s names on The Wall. The names are listed in order of date of casualty and alphabetically on each day. Beginning at the center/apex, the names start on the East Wall (right-hand side) working their way out to the end of that wing, picking up again at the far end of the West Wall (left-hand side) and working their way back in to the center/apex. The first and last casualties are side by side at the apex of the Memorial.
The replica is constructed of Avonite, a synthetic granite, and its 144 individual panels are supported by an aluminum frame. Modern LED lighting from the top of The Wall provides readability of The Wall at night.
The Wall That Heals is transported from community to community in a 53-foot trailer. When parked, the trailer opens with exhibits built into its sides, allowing it to serve as a mobile Education Center telling the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall and the divisive era in American history.
The mobile Education Center displays includes: digital photo displays of “Hometown Heroes” – service members whose names are on The Wall that list their home of record within the area of a visit; digital photo displays of Vietnam veterans from the local area honored through VVMF’s In Memory program which honors veterans who returned home from Vietnam and later died as a result of their service; video displays that teach about the history and impact of The Wall and of the collection of items representative of those left at The Wall in D.C.; educational exhibits told through items in the collection; a map of Vietnam and a chronological overview of the Vietnam War. The exhibits tell the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall and the era surrounding the conflict, and are designed to put American experiences in Vietnam in a historical and cultural context.
“It’s really exciting for Stephenville. We have our partnership with Fort Hood and we have local partnerships with the American Legion, and Kenny Weldon and the corps at Tarleton. We’re kind of pulling out all of the stops to make sure that this is something really special for our community,” Smith said.
For more information, contact the Stephenville Tourism and Visitors Bureau at 254-552-1222.
May God bless those who did not return from Vietnam. We are indebted for their sacrifice.