Carson City to host Traveling Vietnam Wall in October

The Vietnam War was fought between 1959 and 1975. The history of which is still being written, as is the legacy of the Vietnam Veteran.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. stands as a symbol of America's honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War.

Inscribed on those black polished slabs of granite (that most, if not all Vietnam Veterans, now call “the Wall”) are the names of fifty-eight thousand, two hundred and seventy–six, men and women, who paid the ultimate price, in the performance of their military duties to and for our country.

On those slabs of black granite are the names of fifteen (15) of my fallen comrades in arms.

Yes! It is personal for me, as it is for many veterans. But it is also personal to families and friends of those whose names are engraved on the Wall; indeed, it is personal to all of us in this country who treasure the service of those who have paid the ultimate price in defense of our American values. It allows us to somehow to reconnect with them and to take comfort in the fact that that their sacrifice has left and indelible mark, not only on those slabs of stone, but in the conscience of a nation. If you come to “the Wall” perhaps their will be a connection for you.

The Memorial itself is dedicated to honor the "courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty and country" of all who answered the call to serve during one of the longest and most controversial wars in the annals of U.S. history.

The Traveling Vietnam Wall is a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. consisting of, interlocking panels that duplicates the original structure and now travels throughout the U.S.

Wherever the Traveling Vietnam Wall ends up, it draws large crowds of people from all walks of life, and allows many to visit, and to be reminded of the terrible loss a country suffers, when it sends its young men and women off to any war. It also reminds others of the larger price Americans have had to pay for the freedom we are all now able to enjoy.

Thru the hard work our Mayor and Vietnam Veteran, Bob Crowell, Rick Arnold, President of the local Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of American, Chapter 388, of Carson City, John Hussong, Vice-President, and the respective members of the Chapter, the Traveling Vietnam Wall Exhibit will arrive in Carson City from Oct. 25 to Oct. 28, it will allow many Vietnam Veterans who have been unable to travel to the “The Wall” in Washington, DC, to emerge from the shadows, and allow them to begin a healing process which for many is long over due, and I would ask that you embrace them.

Bringing The Traveling Vietnam Wall, to communities such as Carson City, allows the souls enshrined on the Memorial to exist once more among family and friends in the peace and comfort of familiar surroundings.

Nevada is our home, and home is Nevada.

The many stories of returning Vietnam Veterans’ that were portrayed by the media, as drug addicts, “baby killers” and moral amputees, is simply not true. As in all wars, this is not to suggest that we did not have a long period of re-adjustment after our return in this particular war, however, our reception after our return, was to say the least, unkind, which admittedly had a profound effect on many of us.

But, to the contrary, the vast majority of Vietnam Veterans simply returned to their respective states and communities, and settled back into the routines and habits of civilian life. For Vietnam Veterans who still remain haunted by the experience of Vietnam, they still continue to serve their country.

Many who served in Vietnam have gone on to achieve success in medicine, politics, business, law, they became educators, pastors and priests, to this day, they continue to practice their respective faiths, have raised their children and have sent their sons and daughters to our finest colleges and universities, labored in the fields of poverty, and continue to contribute their time and money to our many service and charitable organizations.

No one story is typical, but the widespread perception that still continues to some extent of the tarnished, broken and battered Vietnam Veteran, is fictional and not factual!

Please join me and my fellow Vietnam Veterans at the “Wall” for you too can be a part of our American history and a part of the healing process for some of us.

How, you might ask?

By saying the gentle words of “Welcome Home” and I can assure you, we will find solace in those two simple words, and in return we will simply say “Thank You!”

Come see us at the “the Wall.”

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