Crews are currently working on putting together the Wall That Heals at the Manitowoc County Expo Grounds. The wall is a three quarter sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, and has several displays that go along with it. We were able to speak with a Vietnam Veteran that is planning to go see the wall when it becomes available for viewing tomorrow. Tom Hoffman was a member of the Sea Bees, a construction unit within the U.S. Navy, and was sent to Vietnam in 1969. “We built everything from bridges to roads to airbases, and airports,” Hoffman told SeehaferNews.com. “It was an interesting 13 months.”
The horrors of the Vietnam War are very well documented, so Hoffman decided to tell us about one of the better moments he experienced while serving his country. He told us about a time when a bridge was blown up, and he was called in during a time he was supposed to have three days off to help fix it. “They wanted a civilian contractor to do it, but they said it would take six months…54 hours after we got there, people were crossing this bridge.”
Hoffman also recalled his flight back from Vietnam, when he began speaking with a young child. The kid asked Hoffman, who was wearing his uniform, if he was in the war. Hoffman replied that he was on his way back from Vietnam. “The mother and dad looked at me, picked up the newspaper, grabbed their little guy by the hand and said “Don’t you ever talk to our son like that again…That was my welcome home I guess.”
The member of the Manitowoc County Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America told us that the Memorial in DC was a big turning point for how the veterans were treated, but it was never gifted to them. “We paid for it ourselves,” Hoffman explained. “No government money. No nothing. The Vietnam Veterans paid for that wall. Is that right or wrong? I don’t know, but it’s our wall.”
Many Veterans of the Vietnam War have made the trip to see the Memorial, and of the men we spoke with, all of them agreed, it was a very difficult time. He recalled the first time he made the trip to see the wall and began looking for the names of five people he knew, including his best friend. “He’s on panel 27 East, row 80. I remember where he was,” Hoffman said. “I touched his name, and I just knelt down and cried. I just couldn’t resist it.”
Seeing the Wall is also tough on the family members of the fallen heroes as well. During that trip to D.C., Hoffman saw a young girl trying to reach a name to do a rubbing. She wasn’t quite tall enough to reach it so Hoffman offered to help. He noticed she was crying and asked if she was ok. She simply replied, “That’s my dad.” That interaction reminded Hoffman of the countless number of people that were affected by each name on the Wall.
Once The Wall That Heals is finished getting put together, it will be open 24 hours a day through Sunday to allow those who want to spend some time alone, or with fewer people around. Hoffman is encouraging everyone in the area to see the wall and learn about the sacrifice his brothers in arms gave for your freedom. We asked Hoffman if he were asked to serve again if he would. His response? “I would, simply for the fact this country is worth every dog-gone bit of suffering and hardship. This is the greatest place in the world to live. You better make sure you keep it that way.”
