The Healing Wall Arrives in Utah

Our driving team of Paul Crecelius and Louis Salas arrived in St. George, Utah today.  Here is what is in store for the wall this week!

 

 

Nearly 40 years after the fall of Saigon, many of those who lived through the turmoil of the Vietnam War are still trying to heal.  In an effort to aid the process, Southern Utah veterans and their supporters have worked to bring back one of two traveling replicas of the Vietnam War Memorial.

 

"The Wall That Heals," a half-scale replica of the memorial in Washington, D.C., is coming to Washington City this week, slated to go up outside the Zion Harley-Davidson off state Route 9 from Wednesday through Sunday.

Like the larger memorial, it lists chronologically the names of more than 58,000 Americans known to have died or gone missing during the conflict, giving visitors a chance to connect in a uniquely personal way with the friends and loved ones who were lost.

"Especially for those of us who can't get back to Washington, D.C., this is a chance to experience it," said Dan Greathouse, president of the Vietnam Veterans Association, Chapter 961.

Accompanying the wall will be a museum and information center, to help locate the names of loved ones and friends.

Ron Lewis, a Vietnam veteran from New Harmony, said the memorial serves a powerful purpose.
"We owe it to them to go to the wall and let them know they haven't been forgotten," Lewis said.
Many veterans have a hard time facing their feelings as they approach the memorial for the first time, but being there to spend time with the wall and the names can help them to break through and come to terms with their emotions, he said.

Often, families can learn more about their lost loved ones and come away with a sense of completion.
"What the wall does is it allows you to find some closure with what was oftentimes a traumatic experience," Lewis said.

The VVA, with help from a large donation from Zion Harley-Davidson, were able to have Washington City included on the replica wall's latest tour, and the exhibit will remain open in the parking lot area outside the shop.

A sacred opening ceremony including a blessing of the wall by area Native Americans is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Thursday, Greathouse said. Additional events, including seminars hosted by author Bridget C. Cantrell, are also scheduled.

The wall itself will be open to visitors at all hours.

A motorcycle escort has been organized to usher in the wall as it comes in on Wednesday, with the American Legion Riders, Patriot Guard and others joining in.