Hosted by Washington-Centerville Public Library, the exhibit honors the more than 3 million Americans who served in the U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War. It bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
The exhibit, which travels across the country, will be officially available for viewing continuously from July 27 to July 30. It is scheduled to arrive July 25, at Sinclair Community College: Centerville Regional Center, 5800 Clyo Road, and will be escorted to Yankee Park, according to Liz Fultz, the library’s director.
“We’ll construct it beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday (July 26), and it officially opens Thursday, July 27 (at) 10 a.m. with music, speeches, taps (and more),” Fultz said. The exhibit will close at 2 p.m. July 30.
The tribute also will feature a special “In Memory Honor Roll” highlighting photos of Vietnam veterans from Ohio who returned from the war but have died since due to Agent Orange, post-traumatic stress disorder and other illnesses as a result of their service.
“Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund believes all those who served in Vietnam should be honored and remembered for their service,” VVMF said on its website. “The ‘In Memory’ program enables the families and friends of those who came home and later died the opportunity to have them be forever memorialized.”
Area residents may submit their loved one’s information free of charge by June 27 at www.vvmf.org/inmemory-apply to have their profile included. All veterans from Ohio honored through In Memory program will have their photos and names on display as part of the mobile Education Center exhibit when The Wall That Heals is in Centerville.
Those wishing to honor a veteran should complete a short application and submit the veteran’s DD214 showing their proof of service in Vietnam, a copy of their death certificate and two photographs.
Having a veteran honored through the In Memory program includes creation of an online personal remembrance page with their photo and biographical information. Family members can share the page and leave remembrances about their loved one. To see the Honor Roll, visit www.vvmf.org/Honor-Roll.
Those who honor a veteran also receive an invitation to an upcoming In Memory weekend in Washington, D.C., including a ceremony on the site of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial where each honoree’s name is read aloud. Each applicant also receives a printed personal tribute certificate with their veteran’s photo.
For more information, visit www.wclibrary.info/thewallthatheals.
Fultz said the goal of the exhibit is to honor as many Vietnam veterans from Ohio as possible.
The exhibit also will feature “Left at The Wall,” a display of items representative of those left at The Wall in Washington, D.C., and “Directory and Kiosk,” where people can search for names using VVMF’s Wall of Faces on the kiosk or paper directories.
The library is soliciting volunteers to act as ambassadors to greet visitors and assist them, handle traffic control and help visitors with looking up a name.
“Some of those harder spots to fill — the wee hours between midnight and 6 a.m. — are particularly good for veterans who understand the sacredness and solemnity of what happened,” said library spokeswoman Debe Dockins, whose father served three tours in Vietnam.
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