The “Wall That Heals”, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is coming to the Finger Lakes next summer. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will bring the replica wall along with a mobile Education Center to Penn Yan from August 8th through August 11th.
The 29th season of The Wall That Heals will begin on January 24, 2024, in Hilo, Hawaii and visit 33 communities during the year. 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 58,281 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
We look forward to providing our host communities a healing experience for local veterans and their families and an educational experience for all visitors,” said Jim Knotts, President and CEO of VVMF. “We are excited to kick off our touring season with our first-ever visit to the state of Hawaii. Our ability to bring this exhibit throughout the nation to honor and remember all those who served in the Vietnam War is more important than ever. We want to ensure that the Vietnam generation never forget how much we appreciate their service today.”
The Wall That Heals is sponsored by USAA. Through a partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), the trucking industry, and Blue Beacon, the exhibit can travel across the country. Hosts in each community provide for the location, volunteers, and preparations necessary to replicate the experience a visitor would have at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.
To commemorate the 2024 The Wall That Heals tour, VVMF has created a 2024 tour shirt that features the tour schedule. To view and purchase the 2024 tour shirt for a limited time, go here: www.vvmf.org/twthshirt. Proceeds from the sales of these shirts go to support The Wall That Heals and other VVMF programs that further the VVMF mission.
About The Wall replica:
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 can 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 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) work their way out to the end of that wing, pick up again at the far end of the West Wall (left-hand side), and work their way back into 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.
About the Mobile Education Center
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 exhibit 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; video displays that teach about the history and impact of The Wall; educational exhibits told through items representative of those left at The Wall in D.C.; a replica of the In-Memory plaque; 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.
