A Minnesota PBS Initiative
Volunteering at The Wall That Heals
This last weekend I was honored and privileged to be allowed to volunteer at the travelling Wall That Heals. This is a three quarter size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) are the founders and custodians of The Wall and the travelling wall.
Together along with the St Paul sponsor- Twin Cities PBS TPT, the travelling wall was assembled on Wednesday by volunteer workers of the Mc Gough Construction Company on the grounds of the Capitol Mall in St Paul. The Wall That Heals was open to the public from the moment of the completion of the set up, until 3:00 pm on Sunday. The Wall was taken down and placed in the trailer largely by volunteer St Paul Firemen.
There were many other displays including a Huey Helicopter, the beautiful displays on the trailer that delivered The Wall, three days of the readings of the names of our 1075 soldiers with Minnesota as their Home of Record, and many other areas of displays and ceremonies that stretched from the Armory, all across the Capitol Mall.
I was struck by the many great volunteers and the thousands of folks who showed up. Many never knew a name on The Wall, but there were others. These were the classmates, former girlfriends, childhood friends, neighbors, fellow soldiers and of course, the gold star sisters, brothers, wives, sons, daughters, cousins, nieces and nephews (all gold star relatives). Thanks to anyone who brought the young ones with, whether you were the parents or grandparents.
I worked not only with the other volunteers, but also with some of the best the VVMF could ever send- Callie and Nikki. They were great mentors and leaders. Kate, Katie, Sam, Donna and many other staff members of TPT were always close at hand, making sure that the visitors and volunteers were as comfortable as possible.
Most of these guys were single, some were married, some were parents and some were grandparents. They were everybody you ever knew. It is for us to remember their sacrifice.
Biographical Details
Submitted From: Cottage Grove, MN
Story Subject: Memorial
Affiliate Organization: The Wall That Heals, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
So, I know there are eight ladies named on The Wall. This year there are 58,318 names on The Wall. So, one might ask, who were these great and mostly young men who gave their lives in Vietnam. They were everybody you ever knew. They came from every race, creed, and religion. They were the valedictorian, the dropout, the athlete, the little guy who was in chess club, the immigrant, the soldier of another country, the enlistee and the draftee, the officer's son, the World War II Veteran, the Korean War Veteran, the World War II Veteran's son, the big city kid and the young boy from the tiniest town on the map.
Most of these guys were single, some were married, some were parents and some were grandparents. They were everybody you ever knew.
It is for us to remember their sacrifice. After all, it was the soldiers and fallen soldiers of Vietnam who brought us all together this last weekend. Thanks to TPT and the VVMF. Thanks to every one of you who served our country, volunteered, or attended The Wall That Heals. A Grateful American
Story Themes: Herb Reckinger, Impact, Minnesota State Capitol, The Vietnam Memorial, The Wall That Heals, Volunteer, Volunteering, Wall of Faces
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