Vietnam veterans, family members and friends will have the opportunity of a lifetime as The Moving Wall makes a tour stop in Stockton on Thursday for a few days to pay tribute to their loved ones.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica that resembles the original memorial wall in Washington, D.C., will be in Stockton from Thursday, May 14 to Monday, May 18, at the Weber Point Events Center, at 221 N. Center St., in Stockton. The Moving Wall is a 253-foot-long memorial wall, a half-size replica with more than 58,000 Vietnam veteran names who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
“The Moving Wall is more than a monument — it’s a reminder of the sacrifices made by our brothers and sisters in arms,” said Marvin Hernandez Garcia, chair of the United Veterans Council of San Joaquin County. “When people see the names, it becomes deeply personal. It’s an experience that stays with you.”
The Moving Wall memorial is being hosted by the American Legion Family Karl Ross Post 16 and the United Veterans Council of San Joaquin. It will be free and open 24 hours a day to the community.
An opening ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. on Thursday, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, a Fallen Heroes Ceremony will take place and at 9 p.m. the Stockton Ports will have a fireworks show. The closing ceremony will be at 2 p.m. on Monday.
“We are proud to bring The Moving Wall back to Stockton,” said Linda Vasquez, event chair of the United Veterans Council, in the Facebook post. “This is a chance for our community to come together to honor the fallen, support veterans, and teach younger generations about service and sacrifice.”
The Moving Wall Schedule in Stockton:
Thursday, May 14
Friday, May 15
Saturday, May 16
Sunday, May 17
Sunday, May 18
According to The Moving Wall website, there are 74 separate panels that make up the traveling wall memorial. The wall is also almost as long as a football field.
The names are arranged in chronological order of their death, starting at the center of the panels.
“We always have volunteers available to walk with visitors as they start out on their journey to see a family or friend’s name etched in the wall. If the person was an early casualty, they will need to walk to the center area of the entire display and that can be a very long and somber walk,” the website states. “Many of our volunteers are Vietnam War survivors, veterans and family members that just want to help others achieve some closure.”
After Stockton, The Moving Wall will make a tour stop in Coulterville before going to Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania in early June.
To learn more about The Moving Wall, visit themovingwall.org.
Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers business and community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica to make stop in Stockton
Reporting by Angelaydet Rocha, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
