If you can't make it to Washington D.C., take a trip to Madison to see the “Moving Wall.” A half-size replica of the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial will continue to be on display at the V-F-W post just north of Madison ?s airport 24 hours a day through the weekend. There will be a closing ceremony at 3:00 on Monday. Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary John Scocos says it's a lasting testament to the public memory of the Vietnam War. ?It really mirrors something that our nation must never forget. And that is the sacrifice that those young men and women who served our country during probably one of the most controversial wars in our history.?
Scocos had the honor of seeing both the original and the Moving Wall, which were funded by veterans through donations. Scocos says more than half of Americans today have no memory of Vietnam, but the Wall reminds us of the service and sacrifice the soldiers made for our country and in defense of our constitution, not for one political party. ?And I believe one of the lessons of our Department, is to make sure that we as a state and a nation don?t forget the sacrifices and we honors those veterans despite the national debate of how our forces were used, that we remember them and think about the future as we now fight wars in the Middle East.?
The Moving Wall has the names of more than 58,000 Americans killed or missing-in-action during the Vietnam War, about 1,200 of which were from Wisconsin.
A computer program helps visitors find familiar names, and they'll be able to do rubbings of the names with provided paper and pencils. Admission is free, but donations are welcome to help pay for security, lighting and other expenses.
Related web sites:
Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs
Moving Wall (pdf)