In Memory

Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall

By Christiana Johns

Millions of people travel to Washington, D.C. every year to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, but there are also millions who never get the chance to see it.

Now those who are unable to travel to our nation’s capital to see one of the most moving monuments in the world will have the chance to experience “the Wall” right here in Central.

The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall is coming to Central from Nov. 9 - 11. The memorial will be on display for 24 hours until approximately 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11 at Zoar Baptist Church. Welsh Funeral Home is sponsoring the event. Admission is free and open to the public. This year will be the Wall’s first appearance in Baton Rouge since 2004.

Gerald Reid of Central’s Veterans Helping Veterans said the wall will arrive on Nov. 6 at about 5 or 6 p.m. with 3,000 – 4,000 bikers escorting the wall into town. He said many of these bikers are veterans themselves, but they include police officers, firemen and other people who had family members serve in Vietnam and want to pay their respects.

On Saturday, Nov. 10, Reid said Central High School’s ROTC colors and drill will be at the Wall’s site along with WYPY 100.7 broadcasting live, and a live country and gospel show in the church gym. There will be guest speakers such as a POW from Vietnam, a 21-gun salute, and possibly tanks and canons on display. Reid said so far nine schools will be arriving that Friday for students to experience the Wall.

Along with the arrival of the Wall on Nov. 6 will be the Taste of Central event at Zoar Baptist Church. Debbie Cooper of Cooper Catering, also a volunteer on the committee organizing the Wall’s arrival, said the event will showcase more than 60 restaurants from Central and surrounding areas. Cooper said restaurants will be donating food to feed the volunteers who will be erecting the Wall.

“The Healing Wall”

This three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall travels from coast to coast across the country every year. Since its inception in 1990, the largest traveling memorial in the country has visited more than 200 U.S. cities. The traveling wall is 240 feet long and 8 feet tall with the same black, mirror-like surface as the original monument in Washington, D.C. Inscribed are the names of more than 58,000 Americans who died or went missing in Vietnam.

According to Dignity Memorial, the purpose of the wall is to bring healing to veterans, awareness to younger generations and contemplation to its visitors.

Central’s Veterans Helping Veterans has been part of the driving force behind bringing the wall to Central. The organization’s commander, Reid, said their purpose is to help veterans who need help in any way, such as dealing with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), having someone to talk to, taking them to the VA clinic or whatever else they need. “They’re my brothers and they need help,” Reid said.

Reid said veterans come from as far as Texas and Alabama to see this memorial. “Once we start building up, they will come,” Reid said. “It doesn’t get slow until 12 – 1 a.m.”

Many veterans come to the wall late at night to avoid the crowds and media. “They don’t want people to take pictures of them or make fun of them if they break down and start crying,” Reid said. “They’re hurting and they haven’t dealt with it.”

Reid said they call the traveling monument “The Healing Wall” because it allows veterans and their families to confront their past. “There are still a lot of veterans out there who have not dealt with the past and need to,” Reid said. “They can come to the wall and it’s like their buddies who died are right there with them. They can talk to them and get the closure they need.”

Essential to Central

Reid and Central’s Veterans Helping Veterans helped with the Wall when it was by the U.S.S. Kidd in 2004 and wanted to bring the same thing to Central because of how many veterans are here.

“People would be surprised to know how many veterans are out here in Central,” Reid said. “There are a lot of vets calling me and saying we should have done this a long time ago.”

Reid said many Central veterans would prefer to see the wall right at home and be amid people from the same walk of life as their own. “These are country people who wouldn’t go to Baton Rouge to see the Wall. They’d rather go right here in Central, deal with it and go straight home. There’s a different breed of people that lives out here in the country.”

According to Reid, simply the presence of the Wall in Central is essential to the community because of the impact of having such a big event here. “I think it’s going to be fantastic. It’s going to blow Central away. I don’t think people are going to realize how big this thing is. It’s going to wake up a lot of people.”

For more information about the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, visit www.dignitymemorial.com.