The Wall, as it has come to be known, draws thousands of visitors every year to Washington, D.C., the names of more than 58,000 service members who died in the Vietnam War etched on its black granite faces.
Next week, the Wall is coming to Hinesville, thanks to the efforts of several locals, including some Vietnam War veterans.
The Wall That Heals, a mobile version of the Wall, will be at Bryant Commons and open to the public beginning October 23 and ending October 27. Bringing the Wall that Heals to Liberty County is the culmination of a three-year process, said Dennis Fitzgerald of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 789.
“I am very proud of the community,” he said. “Without the community, we could never do it.”
Hinesville was announced as a stop on the 2024 The Wall That Heals tour in December 2023.
Fitzgerald recalled going to the The Wall the first time when he was stationed at The Pentagon. He and others from Liberty County visited The Wall That Heals when it was in Nags Head, North Carolina, last year.
“It brought back good and bad memories,” he said, “good memories of great friends that I had and made over there and of great friends that I lost over there.”
One of the most important elements of the Wall’s visit is its educational piece, a 53-foot trailer that is part of the exhibit.
“The wall is outstanding. It brings tears to my eyes. But the educational trailer really explains a lot of the history,” Fitzgerald said. “The trailer is what sets it off and makes it real special. The education trailer coming with it gives a more realistic experience, up until the present time. I was amazed at the educational trailer.”
Individuals, groups and classes can tour the trailer, and the trailer staffers help to broaden their understanding, Fitzgerald added. “They are so knowledgeable, they make you feel you are there at the real wall,” he said.
Fitzgerald said it is important to know why service members fought in Vietnam and what happened to them upon their return. From February 1961 to the fall of Saigon in May 1975, more than 2.7 million Americans served in Vietnam.
“It’s very important,” he said. “It’s part of our history that no longer seems to be taught in school, the history of the U.S. serviceman in Vietnam and what they went through, and what they went through coming back and up until now.”
The replica Wall itself is seven and a half feet tall and is 375 feet long. As with the original Wall in D.C., visitors can make rubbings of names of the fallen from the wall’s faces.
Getting The Wall That Heals, now in its 28th year, to Hinesville was the result of work from many different people, Fitzgerald said, including sponsors and the Hinesville Downtown Development Authority.
“I want to thank all of our sponsors. Without everybody, we couldn’t do it,” he said. “The HDDA, and Michelle Ricketson, has been there for everything we’ve needed. We couldn’t do this without their help. I was flabbergasted and I was immensely proud of all the work that went in, all the applications and forms and reports we had to send in to get it approved. It was a bunch of people doing a lot of work just to get it approved.”
The Wall That Heals is leaving Savannah Harley- Davidson by 1:30 p.m. on October 22 and traveling down Highway 17 to Riceboro. There, it will travel along Highway 119 to Highway 84, and then proceed to Bryant Commons.
Set up of the Wall will take place October 23 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and it will be open for tours and visits beginning October 24 until 2 p.m. on October 27.
“It will be open 24/7 through that period,” Fitzgerald said. An appreciation ceremony will be held October 24 at 7 p.m., and a welcome home ceremony is scheduled for October 25 at 7 p.m. There will be a candlelight vigil October 26 at 7 p.m., and a closing ceremony will start at 1:45 p.m. October 27.
Volunteers are needed to help man the shifts, Fitzgerald said, and those interested can contact him at vva.libertycountych. 789@gmail.com or call (912) 980-5204, or get in touch with Lil Shurtleff at (912) 977-5628. Group tours also can be arranged by calling Shurtleff.
For more information, visit https://wall thatheals-hinesville.org/
