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Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica Wall and Mobile Education Center spreads the healing legacy of The Wall and educates about the impact of the Vietnam War.
SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS – The Wall That Heals is a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial along with a mobile Education Center. It is coming to Sulphur Springs on Nov. 4-7, 2021, at the Sulphur Springs High School Track and will be open 24 hours a day and free to the public. The Wall That Heals honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed forces in the Vietnam War, and it bears the names of the 58,279 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
“We are beyond excited to have been chosen as one of only 28 sites all across the nation to host The Wall That Heals in 2021, and the only site chosen in Texas,” said Mandy Kennedy.
Hopkins County Veterans Memorial Committee. “The Wall That Heals is sponsored locally by the Hopkins County Veterans Memorial, the Sulphur Springs Independent School District, and the City of Sulphur Springs in partnership to recognize Veterans of the Vietnam War. It offers our community’s grateful appreciation for their service and sacrifice during a difficult time in our nation’s history. We also appreciate the generosity of resident Carol Gunn Vernon, who underwrote the $10,000.00 cost of hosting The Wall That Heals so that Hopkins County can welcome home America’s Vietnam Veterans.”
“The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is pleased to bring The Wall That Heals mobile exhibit to Sulphur Springs in Hopkins County to allow local veterans and their family members a chance to experience The Wall. We will work carefully with the host to provide a safe opportunity for the community to experience the healing and educational aspects of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,” said Jim Knotts, president, and CEO of VVMF. “Hosting The Wall That Heals provides an opportunity to honor and remember all those who served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War and educate visitors on the continuing impact of the Vietnam War on America.”
They transport the Wall That Heals from community to community in a 53-foot trailer. When parked, the trailer opens with exhibits built into its sides, allowing it to serve as a mobile Education Center that tells the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall, and the divisive era in American history. The three-quarter scale Wall replica is 375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at its tallest point. Visitors will experience The Wall rising above them as they walk towards the apex, a vital feature of the design of The Wall in D.C. Visitors can do name rubbings of individual service members’ names on The Wall.
The mobile Education Center exhibit includes digital photo displays of “Hometown Heroes.” Service members whose names are on The Wall list their home of record within the area of a visit, digital photo displays of Vietnam veterans from the local site honored through VVMF’s. In Memory program honors veterans who returned home from Vietnam and later died due to their service. A video displays teaching about the history and impact of The Wall. In addition, there are educational exhibits told through items representative of those left at The Wall in D.C., a replica of the In-Memory Plaque, a map of Vietnam, and a chronological overview of the Vietnam War. The exhibits tell the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall, and the era surrounding the conflict. They designed it to put American experiences in Vietnam in a historical and cultural context.
USAA generously sponsors 2021 national “The Wall That Heals” tour. The exhibit can travel across the country through a partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), the trucking industry, and Blue Beacon. Local sponsors are Hopkins County Veterans Memorial Committee, Sulphur Springs Independent School District, and the City of Sulphur Springs.
Since its debut in 1996, the exhibit has been in nearly 700 U.S. communities. In addition to an April 1999 tour of the Four Provinces of Ireland and a visit to Canada in 2005. The Wall That Heals is a program of VVMF, the nonprofit organization that built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1982. The Wall That Heals is the only traveling exhibit affiliated with The Wall in Washington, D.C., and includes the most prominent Wall replica that travels the country. Two VVMF staff members lead volunteers on site, educate visitors and students, and ensure the reflective atmosphere of The Wall. You can get more information at www.thewallthatheals.org.