The Wall That Heals, a three quarter sized replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington DC, will be calling the Manitowoc County Expo Grounds its home next week. The wall has etched into it the names of all 58,000 plus men and women that gave their lives during the war, which lasted from March 8th, 1965 to January 27th, 1973. Manitowoc County Veteran Service Officer Todd Brehmer told SeehaferNews.com that this memorial symbolizes all the sacrifice involved in the war, including “the sacrifice of youth, the sacrifice of innocence, and the sacrifice that the families have made” because their loved one is gone for a year or more.
Some people may think that memorials such as The Wall That Heals glorify war, but Brehmer says that is far from the case. “It’s not a way of chest-beating, saying ‘Look what we did.’ It’s a way of saying ‘Remember what these people did.’”
The Wall will not be available for viewing until Thursday, September 12 but there will be an escort for it once it arrives in Two Rivers on Tuesday. That escort will start at 4 p.m. at the Two Rivers Armory and will see hundreds of motorcyclists leading the wall through Two Rivers, along Lake Michigan, and through Manitowoc to the Expo Grounds. The Manitowoc County Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America is asking for the public to line the roadway along the path of the escort in a show of reverence. We will have more on the Wall That Heals over the next week.
