The traveling Vietnam wall

Rick (Doc) Russo is a disabled Navy Corpsman whose grandfather was a WWI veteran and whose son is assigned to Seal Team 18. He travels around the country with a mobile Vietnam wall. This is his story as told by him.

“I first got involved with the wall about 25 years ago at the Melbourne Veterans Reunion. After about 10 years of working my way up the ranks of the reunion committee I was asked to be one of the folks to oversee the building of our wall for the next reunion. After getting our Wall built, a good friend and his wife started traveling with it. I told my wife Suzanne that when they retired I wanted that job. I think she thought I was kidding. Three years ago upon the retirement of the couple that traveled with the wall, I was asked to take it over.

I now travel from April to November each year across the eastern half of the country doing between 15 and 18 events a year. We travel from central Texas up to about Iowa east and all the way north to the border.

I have the honor of traveling with a dear friend of 25 years, Lucky Harper. He is a Vietnam combat vet who retired from the Army. I didn’t mention we don’t get paid to do this it is a labor of love.

There are many challenges to traveling with the wall. I get about 150 to 200 requests a year for the Wall and can only do 15 to 18 events, so it is totally up to me where we go. I am away from home for at least six months a year. Just last month we were in North Carolina when the hurricane was heading for my house in Florida. Friends helped to make my home and family safe while I was away.

Traveling with the wall is an enjoyable as well as humbling experience especially when we meet veterans, their families, their friends and other supporters. Coming to visit the wall is the first step in the healing process for some veterans who have been holding on to emotional issues for decades. It is my job to make sure it is a pleasant journey.

I have many memorable moments from my travels. I will share my favorite one with you. Two years ago we were in a small town in West Virginia. We set up on the high school front lawn. I noticed a little old lady sitting on her porch next door to the exhibit. Every day she was just rocking in her chair and watching. During our closing ceremony on the last day of the event, I noticed that same little old lady sitting in the front row. After the closing finished this little old lady came up and tugged on my arm and asked if I was Mr. Doc. I replied that yes I was. She said she wanted to thank me for picking her small town to host the wall and asked if she could give me a hug. This lady was about 4 1/2 feet tall and weighed maybe 90 pounds and reminded me of my grandmother. I said of course you can give me a hug. She hugged me so hard she took my breath away. Then she thanked me again and grabbed my arm like grandmothers do and said, “No you don’t understand!” She then took me to the east side of the wall and pointed to a name. With tears in her eyes and with a broken voice she said, “This is the first time in 47 years that my son has been home, this is him right here.” With a huge lump in my throat tears in my eyes I asked if I could give her another hug.

It’s reasons like that I keep traveling with the wall. For as long as I am able, the 58,309 men and women on that wall will never be forgotten.”