Moving Wall arrives in Sycamore

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After months of diligent planning, the ad hoc committee of veterans and friends are ready to set up The Wall that Heals in Sycamore Park on Wednesday, Sept. 12. The half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be available for viewing 24 hours a day from Sept. 13 through 16 in the Good Times area of Sycamore Park. Just like the memorial in Washington, D.C., the Traveling Wall contains all 58,000-plus names of the soldiers who died during the Vietnam War. When the Wall visited Sycamore 10 years ago, more than 25,000 people visited. This time, more than 2,000 school children are expected to take field trips on Thursday and Friday. Local Vietnam veterans will discuss the significance of the Wall, the war itself and anything the students want to know about the Vietnam War era of U.S. history. Programs are scheduled each day as well. Thursday honors Vietnam veterans at 6 p.m. On Friday, World War II veterans are honored at 6 p.m. At 2 p.m. on Saturday, Korean War veterans will be recongized and at 2 p.m. Sunday, veterans from post-Vietnam to the present day will be honored. Special music, speakers and patriotic demonstrations will occur during each program. One of the most moving, The POW/MIA Rembrance Table Ceremony, will be performed during the programs on Thursday and Sunday. The Battlefield Cross will be performed on Friday and Saturday. Several other displays will be available as well, including a Vietnam-era Huey helicopter and the traveling version of the Coalition Memorial. The work of one man from Wisconsin, Chet Borowski, the memorial remembers every soldier from all the coalition nations who has given his or her life during the current war. And because the memorial is available for viewing 24 hours a day, visitors are invited to enjoy the quiet solitude to reflect any time.