The Moving Wall, a half-sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C, visited Coral Springs for three days last month. It was created in 1984 by John Devitt, a Vietnam veteran, as a way to bring the experience of the memorial to communities across the United States that may not be able to travel to Washington D.C. to see the original.
The Moving Wall is a mobile exhibit that travels to different locations throughout the country, allowing people to pay their respects to the more than 58,000 men and women who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. The wall is made up of two 250-foot-long sections and stands at 6 feet tall at its highest point.
Like the original memorial in Washington D.C., the names of the fallen soldiers are inscribed on the wall in chronological order of their date of death or their status as a prisoner of war or missing in action. The names are engraved onto black aluminum panels using a special etching process that makes them stand out against the reflective surface of the wall.
While the wall was here, a number of veteran groups paid their respects. Several notable veterans spoke at the memorial, including retired Army Ranger Major General Bernard “Burn” Loeffke, U.S. Marine Pete Gannon, Navy Commander Tom Melville and Women’s Army Corps veteran Colonel Connie Christensen.
The memorial was greeted by a Police escort and was in place at Messenheimer Field at the Coral Springs Sportsplex.
