The Moving Wall...........

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The Moving Wall arrives at noon today. It will be here for a week. Each evening there will be ceremonies and tonights's includes a fly-over.

I will go to see if I can be of any help.

Though I served in the U.S. Navy from Nov.-68 - Nov. '76, I never made it to 'Nam. Several of my HS classmates died there including one of my best friends. Each time I hold one of my kids, grandkids and great-grandkids, I think of those young warriors of my generation who didn't live to experience the joys that I have. It will be a somber experience. It always is and I suspect it always will be. I will shed tears.

It is open for viewing 24/7. I plan on volunteering.

It seems appropriate that a deaf guy guard the names of those who can't speak.

[David G Baker]

I saw the wall twice when I lived in Northern California. It is an awesome site to behold. It was in Cadillac, Michigan last week but I wasn't able to visit it this time. I lost contact with most of my high school friends so I don't know how many didn't make it back from Nam. I went in the Army in September of '63 and got out in September of '66 and ended up stationed in Germany for two years and was reassigned to Fort Ord California for the remainder of my three year enlistment. If I had re-enlisted I would have ended up in Nam but I had two boys at the time and didn't want them to grow up with out a father so I got out of the Army.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

David,

I wish I could post a link to a local newspaper story about the Moving Wall arriving here this morning.

A local trucker had to deliver a boat to Missoula, Mt. He got delayed due to an oil spill into a river. After delivering his load, he noticed a pickup at a truckstop....it had a special gooseneck trailer behind it, the hood of the truck was up and a bumper sticker indicated it was a combat veteran delivering the Moving Wall. The trucker talked to the driver and volunteered to deliver it to Lewiston FREE. The pickup needed some serious work.....the driver was hesitant but after the trucker drew up an official bill of lading and the original driver got permission, he let the local trucker bring it to town.

The trucker's CB radio broke and all he could do was key the mike. But...other truckers saw his load and chatted at him...he stopped at a rest stop and a grizzled biker came over and gave him a hug and thanks....a family came over to thank him.....when he got to Lewiston last night......he had to wait for the official procession this morning. He needed a 10,000 mile inspection before he could haul his next load.....the local company inspected it FREE and treated him to dinner.......a local communications company fixed his radio free.......he called his customer explaining why he wouldn't be able to pick up his next load today at the agreed time....they held the load for him and rescheduled the delivery.......

The delivery trucks colors....red....white and blue.....

I thought it was a neat story.......

[David G Baker]

Ken,
Great story.
There was a very large turn-out here in Michigan to view the arrival of the Wall as well. The road was lined with many people. The same thing happens here when a local hero is brought home for burial.

[anthony wall]

i am from the uk and we dont have anything like this,i assume that it is a memorial to your fallen soldiers sailors and airmen if this is so then it is a wonderful way for all communities to pay their respects,i salute you all

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Anthony......the "Moving Wall" is a 1/2 scale model of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It is a rather simple black monument with the names of the 58,274 soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen who died in that unpopular war. The names are listed in chronological order of their deaths.

It was a moving ceremony last night. A retired Army officer spoke, a retired Marine officer spoke......both in uniform....both in good physical shape......a special HS singing group sang the US National Anthem and an American Legion chaplain said a prayer. An O-2 Skywalker forward observation plane from the Vietnam War era made a fly over.

We live on the edge of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. As you travel east you drive for nearly 100 miles before leaving the reservation and nearly 60 miles to the south. The Nez Perce Tribal Drummers performed a drum ceremony in the honor of welcoming home deceased warriors. Some of the drummers were in traditional Nez Perce warrior dress...some dressed like the rest of us. It was moving. I watched as the several hundred people in the crowd stood....men removed their hats and all covered their hearts in a showing of respect for this cultural religious ceremony. I would estimate less than 1% of the people there were of Native American heritage but they had the courtesy to show respect...... it was a moving moment.

My left ear is dead.....my right ear has 10% with a hearing aid when last tested. My wife and I have noticed my hearing ability has noticeably decreased in the last few weeks.....but for some strange reason...I could hear the drums....and the centuries old chant as they performed the drum ceremony. I was moved.

In today's paper a woman who was interviewed last night was quoted. Her young Marine husband was 23 in 1971 when he was killed in Vietnam during his second tour. Their daughter was age 4 years when he died there. They had moved from Challis, ID to Camp Pendleton just before he deployed on his 2nd tour. He told her when they got to Camp Pendleton to not identify herself to the public as a Marine wife as it was unpopular to be associated with the military. She said she mistakenly admitted in public once that her husband was a Marine and she was spit on. She was in tears in front of the Moving Wall last night.

It dawned on me as looked up the name of my childhood friend.....we hunted rabbits, quail and doves together....fished.....camped..... I had tears in my eyes and it dawned that this was all these young people had......most in their late teens and early 20's.....their names on a wall and memories of their short lives in the minds of their friends and families. I found another reason to count my many blessings.

[David G Baker]

Ken,
Thank you for sharing your experience.

[Shaun Mahood]

Ken, that was a very moving post. Thanks for reminding me how lucky I am to be here.

[anthony wall]

thanks for the info ken and your posting i was very moved by reading it and i am not american the second most moving experience of my life was when we visited the arizona memorial at pearl harbour the most moving was losing my wife to cancer exactly one year after visiting pearl harbour she was taken ill on the flight home it was devastating then and still is now 16 years later however life goes on and i married again 4 years ago and moved to thailand i am very happy with my lot now but will never forget

[Ken Fitzgerald]

This afternoon I had the pleasure and honor of working with a group of Vietnam vets and Vietnam Era vets. In less than an hour we disassembled the Moving Wall and packed it in the shipping crates properly for it's drive to its next destination in S.D. IIRC. I hope you will forgive me if I state I (a former US Navy sailor) enjoyed myself as I worked with a group of Marines....we hassled each other as we cheerfully got the job done. Fair winds and following seas to the Moving Wall and it's driver.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I have not seen the Moving Wall. I posted here about 2 1/2 years ago about my 10 years struggle to work up enough courage to visit the Wall in Washington DC. It was for me a heavily emotional and cathartic experience. I was only able to face that dragon alone at dawn on a Saturday morning in January when I knew no one else would be around. As a young grunt Marine some 42 and 43 years ago I personally watched friends lose their lives in violent and horrific ways. Other friends I served with died after I had gone home safely. For 40 years I suppressed the emotions and buried them in the back regions of my mind. I still can only speak of the experiences of combat with other veterans. At the Wall I broke down and cried unashamedly upon seeing the names of my friends and the thousands of others etched into that cold black granite. I went back again in November 2009 during my first reunion with veterans from my unit and while I again cried, I no longer fear the dragon. It took me years to understand why veterans join organizations for veterans. It is not to shoot the breeze, drink, party, or tell tall tales. It is because only among other veterans is there an accepting and non-judgemental understanding of the wide range of often conflicting and bizarre emotions that course through our hearts and brains. Photos, movies, and accounts in magazine articles and books just can not convey the total sensory experience of combat. The experience is an assult and overload on your senses of sight, hearing, smell, and it all occurs at once.