The Vietnam War raged from 1964 until 1975 and saw 9,087,000 military affected by the fighting. While there were 240 men who were awarded the Medal of Honor for their contributions, 58,148 lost their lives, 75,000 were severely disabled, 23,214 were completely disabled, and 5,283 lost limbs and the costs to families affected by the war are immeasurable.
Today more that 1,611 Americans are still Missing in Action. For those who have had the opportunity to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington, D.C., the experience is one that will never be forgotten. The more than 5 million annual visitors often leave dog tags, ultrasound photos of grandchildren of fallen soldiers, and various other personal mementos and since the opening of the Memorial, the National Park Service has collected and kept over 400,000 of them to archive and possibly display at a later date.
Logan County will have the chance to see the replica of the wall next week at the Walnut Grove Baptist Church – Parkside at 145 Parkside Way, Russellville, adjacent to City-County Park.
This replica is a ¾ size wall with all the names of the lost and missing from Vietnam. “The Wall That Heals” will be escorted from Bowling Green through Auburn on Tuesday, June 4, and on June 5 at 7 p.m., there will be a wreath laying ceremony. The opening ceremony of the event will be at 9 a.m. on June 6, and the wall will remain open until the closing ceremony at 1:45 p.m. on June 9.
On Friday, June 7, the names on the wall will be read at 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m., and on June 8 at 8 p.m. there will be a PTSD Awareness Vigil held. Taps will be played each night at 8 to end the day.
Make sure not to miss this rare chance to see this stunning tribute to American soldiers who gave their lives or are still missing for our freedoms.
For more information, find Logan County Honor Group on Facebook or visit www.logankyarchives.com/the-wall-that-heals.