Vietnam wall replica coming next summer
KINGSTON, N.Y. » A scale model of the wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be at Cantine Field in Saugerties next summer.
Called “The Wall That Heals,” the traveling exhibit is a 300-foot-long replica that is three-fifths the size of the wall in Washington.
The Saugerties visit is scheduled for July 18-23, 2018.
“Ulster County is a deeply patriotic place. We never forget our veterans, and the sacrifices they made for us,” Ulster County Executive Michael Hein said in announcing the Saugerties visit.
The memorial in Washington, which is inscribed with the names of all 58,318 Americans killed or missing in action in the Vietnam War, was dedicated in 1982;. The mobile wall was launched in 1996 and has been shown in more than 400 communities nationwide.
“The traveling wall stands as a solemn reminder to the great sacrifices made during the Vietnam War,” Hein said. “Think about a young boy or girl who never met their grandfather or uncle but now sees his name carved into this memorial for the very first time, or a Gold Star parent making an etching of their child’s name who was taken from them far too soon, or a Vietnam veteran who makes the emotional choice to visit the wall and all the memories that come with it.”
Steven Massee, director of the Ulster County Veterans Service Agency, said the exhibit in Saugerties will help continue the healing process for veterans.
“This is a sacred and powerful memorial for Vietnam veterans,” Massee said. “Lest we forget, when these veterans came home — the ones who did come home — they faced a country that did not welcome them home, and did not value their service, and this a powerful and significant want to continue the healing that started way back then and continues today.”
Roughly 60 percent of Ulster County’s 12,000 veterans served in Vietnam. Among the names etched on the wall are 42 from Ulster County.