Over last weekend, the Traveling Wall, a half-scale model of the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C., visited Harrisonville.
The community had raised the money, organized the volunteers, and invited veterans for miles around to bring thousands to remember the price of liberty. Five Gold Star families were honored, as well as veterans from every service branch.
It is hard to express the emotion and celebration that swept all of us as the ceremony progressed. Much of what follows is from the remarks of veteran Wes Cunningham who served as emcee.
Near the end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and just a short distance from the Lincoln Memorial, two long, black granite walls bear the names of 58,320 Americans who lost their lives during the Vietnam War.
Near the end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and just a short distance from the Lincoln Memorial, two long, black granite walls bear the names of 58,320 Americans who lost their lives during the Vietnam War.
No one who has ever visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial will soon forget the feeling that came over them as they began the slow, somber walk along “The Wall.” There is a pall that overtakes you as you gaze upon the seemingly endless formation of names. It’s not sadness you feel, as much as a sensation of respect and honor.
The Moving Wall is a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial that travels from town to town. The mobile memorial allows Americans of all ages to pay their respects, and veterans to begin to heal.
Fifty-eight thousand – we’ve heard that number so often, we’ve become insensitive to it. The familiarity peeled away, though, as the crowd gathered to mark the Moving Wall’s five-day residency in Harrisonville listened as Wes Cunningham put context to that number and broke it down.
More than 2.5 million Americans served during the Vietnam War, including 10,000 women. The average age of a soldier serving in Vietnam was 21, five years younger than during World War II. In Vietnam, the average infantry soldier saw 240 days of combat in just one year. By comparison, a World War II infantryman averaged 40 days of combat during a tour of duty that sometimes lasted four years.
One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was injured or killed. More than 300,000 were wounded, and 1,500 Americans are still unaccounted for.
Of the 58,320 names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall, nearly 40,000 were age 22 or younger when they died; 33,103 were just 18 years old. Two soldiers killed in Vietnam were 17. Remarkably, five were age 16 and one was only 15 at the time of his death – a Marine from North Carolina who altered his birth certificate to enlist.
There were 997 soldiers killed the day they arrived in Vietnam. Another 1,448 died on the last day of their tour. There are three sets of fathers and sons on The Wall, and 31 sets of brothers. Eight women are among the names. Of the 244 soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War, 158 are memorialized on The Wall.
These numbers only begin to suggest the enormity of loss America felt during the Vietnam War. It was a loss dearly experienced in Cass County, where five Gold Star families were recognized at The Moving Wall opening ceremony.
Fifty-eight thousand – we’ve heard that number so often, we’ve become insensitive to it. The familiarity peeled away, though, as the crowd gathered to mark the Moving Wall’s five-day residency in Harrisonville listened as Wes Cunningham put context to that number and broke it down.
More than 2.5 million Americans served during the Vietnam War, including 10,000 women. The average age of a soldier serving in Vietnam was 21, five years younger than during World War II. In Vietnam, the average infantry soldier saw 240 days of combat in just one year. By comparison, a World War II infantryman averaged 40 days of combat during a tour of duty that sometimes lasted four years.
One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was injured or killed. More than 300,000 were wounded, and 1,500 Americans are still unaccounted for.
Of the 58,320 names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall, nearly 40,000 were age 22 or younger when they died; 33,103 were just 18 years old. Two soldiers killed in Vietnam were 17. Remarkably, five were age 16 and one was only 15 at the time of his death – a Marine from North Carolina who altered his birth certificate to enlist.
There were 997 soldiers killed the day they arrived in Vietnam. Another 1,448 died on the last day of their tour. There are three sets of fathers and sons on The Wall, and 31 sets of brothers. Eight women are among the names. Of the 244 soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War, 158 are memorialized on The Wall.
These numbers only begin to suggest the enormity of loss America felt during the Vietnam War. It was a loss dearly experienced in Cass County, where five Gold Star families were recognized at The Moving Wall opening ceremony.
The Vietnam War ended 44 years ago, but it lives on in so many American hearts and minds. More than 58,000 Americans never made it home. Many more came home with physical wounds. Countless others bear emotional and psychological scars that haunt them to this day.
The Moving Wall provides a way for families to honor loved ones, veterans to finally receive recognition and many more to begin to heal old wounds. I encourage you to do visit it if it comes to another town near you. What a reminder of the adage – freedom is not free. There can be disagreement over the politics of war, but the honor due those who serve and die for our nation cannot be disputed. This week, as you celebrate Independence Day, don’t forget those who served, those who died, and those who still serve to keep us free – the land of the free and the home of the brave.
The Moving Wall provides a way for families to honor loved ones, veterans to finally receive recognition and many more to begin to heal old wounds. I encourage you to do visit it if it comes to another town near you. What a reminder of the adage – freedom is not free. There can be disagreement over the politics of war, but the honor due those who serve and die for our nation cannot be disputed. This week, as you celebrate Independence Day, don’t forget those who served, those who died, and those who still serve to keep us free – the land of the free and the home of the brave.
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