by Logan Gruber
operations@thenewsleaders.com
In four days, The Wall that Heals will arrive in Sauk Rapids for the Benton County Fair.
The wall is a 250-foot traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial which is located in Washington, D.C. It was originally unveiled on Veterans’ Day, 1996, and was designed to travel around the United States, bringing the Vietnam memorial to communities throughout the country. Throughout the years, the wall has visited more than 400 cities and towns, allowing thousands of veterans the ability to visit the wall near their own homes.
The wall will arrive in the city on Tuesday, Aug. 4, coming over the Sauk Rapids bridge into downtown around 11:30 a.m., then heading down Benton Drive toward the main entrance to the Benton County Fair. The wall is expected to arrive at the fairgrounds around 11:45 a.m.
An opening ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at the fairgrounds. The wall will be open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, Aug. 5-9 during the fair. A closing ceremony at the wall will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9.
The semi which carries The Wall that Heals also has panels on the side which open to become a mobile education center. Information cases display photos of service members whose names are found on the wall, along with letters and memorabilia left at the wall in D.C. The displays also include a map of Vietnam and a chronological overview of the conflict in Vietnam.
Senior Airman Anthony Bumbulsky (left) and Airman First Class Brian Kim, both 819th Red Horse Squadron structural apprentices, level a panel as they assemble The Wall That Heals at Elks Riverside Park in Great Falls, Mont. The 250-foot-wide display is a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. Constructed from aluminum, the 24 panels list more than 58,200 names of American service members killed or missing during the Vietnam War.
