Caterpillar Wamego Operations and the Wamego Area Chamber of Commerce are partnering to bring THE WALL THAT HEALS, a ¾-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, along with a mobile Education Center, to Wamego, Kansas, on June 14-17, 2018. THE WALL THAT HEALS will be located in the Wamego City Park and is open to the public and free to attend. The Wall will be open continuously beginning with the Opening Ceremony at 10:00am on June 14th until the Closing Ceremony at 1:00pm on June 17th.
More schedule details and information about the Wall’s visit to Wamego can be found at http://www.visitwamego.com/events/the-wall-that-heals. Volunteers will play a key role in supporting the Wall’s visit. To learn more about volunteer opportunities and to sign up to volunteer, visit http://signup.com/go/DRexxoY.
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 more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the organization that built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 1982, wants to give all veterans and their family members across America an opportunity to see the Memorial. More information on the VVMF and THE WALL THAT HEALS, including photos and a full 2018 national tour schedule, can be found at www.TheWallThatHeals.org.
“VVMF is pleased to bring THE WALL THAT HEALS mobile exhibit to Wamego, Kansas to allow local veterans and their family members a chance to visit The Wall and honor and remember those who have served and sacrificed,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of VVMF. “We hope it provides an opportunity for healing and an educational experience for the whole community on the impact of the Vietnam War on America.”
“This is a unique opportunity for us to honor those who served in the Vietnam War, as well as the veterans within Caterpillar and in our community,” said Greg Rusk, Global Operations Manager for Caterpillar Work Tools. “We are honored and humbled to be a part of bringing THE WALL THAT HEALS to Wamego.
“It is a pleasure to work with our great community partners at Caterpillar to bring this impactful memorial to Wamego,” said Jeff Wick, President of the Wamego Area Chamber of Commerce. “Our community is known for coming together to support meaningful causes, and THE WALL THAT HEALS will be a wonderful opportunity to band together to honor and remember our servicemen and women.”
The new, larger exhibit includes a three-quarter scale Wall replica that is 375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at its tallest point. Visitors will be able to experience The Wall rising above them as they walk towards the apex, a key feature of the design of The Wall in D.C. For the first time in the history of THE WALL THAT HEALS, visitors will be able to do name rubbings of individual service member’s names on The Wall.
More than 250,000 people visited THE WALL THAT HEALS in 2016. Since its debut in 1996, the exhibit has been on display in nearly 500 U.S. communities, the Four Provinces of Ireland, and Canada. THE WALL THAT HEALS is transported from community to community by a trailer with cases 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 2018 national THE WALL THAT HEALS tour is hauled through a partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and the trucking industry and generously sponsored by USAA.
