In honor of the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in the Vietnam War. (Inscription on The Wall and The Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall.) The Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall, the nation’s first and largest traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica, will be in Gadsden from May 11 – 15, 2017, beside Convention Hall in Gadsden, Alabama, from 7am to 11pm. The display will be open 24 hours for veterans between 11pm and 7am.

 

This honored visit is sponsored by The Gadsden-Etowah Patriots Association, a non-profit organization comprised of military veterans and other patriots whose mission is to honor and respect our fallen American soldiers and our living veterans. Partnering with the Patriots Association is The Chamber, Gadsden/Etowah and the Gadsden/Etowah Tourism Board.

 

Rick Vaughan, chairman of The Gadsden-Etowah Patriots Association said, “We strive to educate the community on the price veterans paid for our freedom and the respect they deserve. We are committed as a group, to pay our respect and to honor those who gave their lives for our country.” “Visitors to The Moving Wall are moved beyond words ” Vaughan continued. “The Moving Wall allows people to experience the memorial, to reach out and touch the name of someone they lost. Visiting the wall is a very emotional experience, even for people who don’t personally know someone who died in Vietnam.

 

The Vietnam War touched us all in some way, and The Moving Wall gives us a chance to say thank you to those who gave their lives to that war effort.” The Moving Wall is a half-sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington, D.C. It measures 250 feet long, 4 feet tall at each end and 6 feet tall in the center. The replica is constructed of aluminum with 58,307 names of the men and women who died in Vietnam. Currently there are 1,124 names of Alabamians inscribed on it. Many Etowah County soldiers were among those that did not return, including over 30 from Gadsden.

 

“The Moving Wall” was John Devitt’s idea, as he saw the original memorial’s 1982 dedication and wanted to share the experience with others around the country. Devitt, Norris Shears, Gerry Haver and other Vietnam veteran volunteers originally built The Moving Wall and it was displayed for the first time in Tyler, Texas in October of 1984. Since then,

 

The Moving Wall has been traveling the U.S.A. from April through November to over 30 locations annually, spending about a week at each site. Typically, around 75,000 to 100,000 people visit the memorial during its weeklong appearance and it has been been viewed by millions of people. The appearance in Gadsden will be the only time in 2017 that The Moving Wall is scheduled to appear in Alabama.

 

There is no admission fee charged to visit The Moving Wall.