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May 2018 49 boatingonthehudson.com
Bringing The Wall home to
communities throughout our country
allows the souls enshrined on the
Memorial to exist once more among
family and friends in the peace and
comfort of familiar surroundings. The
traveling exhibit provides thousands
of veterans who have been unable to
cope with the prospect of facing The
Wall to find the strength and courage
to do so within their own communities,
thus allowing the healing process to
begin.
The main components of The Wall
That Heals are The Wall replica and
the mobile Education Center.
The Wall That Heals exhibit features a three-quarter scale replica of
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The replica is
375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at its tallest point. Visitors
experience The Wall rising above them as they walk towards the
apex, a key feature of the design of The Wall in D.C.
Like the original Memorial, The Wall That Heals is erected in a
chevron-shape and visitors can do name rubbings of individual
service member’s names on The Wall. The replica is constructed
of Avonite, a synthetic granite, and its 140 numbered panels are
supported by an aluminum frame. Machine engraving of the
more than 58,000 names along with modern LED lighting provide
readability of The Wall day and night.
As on The Wall, the names on The Wall That Heals are listed by
day of casualty. 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, joining the
beginning and end of the conflict at the center.
THE WALL REPLICA
The 53-foot trailer that carries The Wall That Heals transforms to become a
mobile Education Center. The exterior of the trailer features a timeline of “The
War and The Wall” and provides additional information about the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Additional exhibits give visitors a
better understanding of the legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the
collection of items left at The Wall.
Displays include:
Hometown Heroes - Photos of service members on The Wall who list their home
of record from the local area. The photos are part of the effort to put a face to
every name on The Wall and for the Wall of Faces.
Map of Vietnam
In Memory Honor Roll - Photos of local Vietnam veterans honored through
VVMF’s In Memory program which honors veterans who returned home and
later died of Vietnam-related illnesses.
A display of items representative of those left at The Wall in Washington, D.C. in
remembrance of those on The Wall.
Digital kiosk allows visitors to search for names using VVMF’s Wall of Faces.
Two paper directories allow for names to be found alphabetically.
The Gold Star Bike - Donated to VVMF by the American Gold Star Mothers in
2012, the bike is a Softail Custom Harley that pays tribute to the mothers who
lost sons to the Vietnam War.
lightbox
On August 2nd to 5th, 2018 “The Moving
Wall That Heals” is going to be displayed
on the Newburgh waterfront. It will be
open 24 hrs a day while here.
“I believe in the
Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Fund”
ALEX SALOMATOFF:
Sponsors:
Central Hudson Corporation.
Kelly Williams & Andrew Forsyth Foundation.
Riverfront Marina.
Contact Jim Williams at:
Phone 845-541-6575.