“Welcome Home,” chairman of the Lumpkin County Veterans Affairs Committee Bill Poole said to the veterans at an opening ceremony for The Wall That Heals exhibit on October 30 at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega. Many gathered on the lawn in front of the replica Vietnam Memorial, remembering their own wartime experiences. They talked of those who never came home and expressed their gratitude to the men and women in the U.S. Armed Services.
Poole worked hard to bring The Wall That Heals to Dahlonega. Many of his friends’ names are on the wall.
“The cliche – ‘freedom isn’t free’ – is true. We gave up 58,281 lives in Vietnam and still wonder whether it was worth it. So many of our children do not know the history of the Vietnam War,” he said during Wednesday’s ceremony. Poole added, “We are so pleased the University of North Georgia was selected as one of the sites for The Wall That Heals. It is a great opportunity for our community to learn about and honor the sacrifices that our veterans and their families experienced during the Vietnam War.”
Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com
An ‘experience’
The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial along with a mobile Education Center, is in its 29th season. It was displayed in Hilo, Hawaii, on January 24 and has visited 31 communities this year.
The traveling exhibit honors the more than three million Americans who served during the Vietnam War and bears the names of those who never came home.
A much smaller, earlier version of The Wall came to Dahlonega in 1992. Poole hopes people will come to UNG not just to see the wall but to experience it.
Roger Ware, a retired United States Air Force Chief Master Sergeant, spent 23 years, 9 months, and 14 days serving our country. He did two tours in Vietnam. Many of the names on the wall are his friends.
As Ware walked alongside the wall, he stopped at the panels bearing his friends’ names; these people, once near to him, still remain dear to him. At each name, he paused and delivered a final salute.
This is how the wall heals—it resurfaces the memories of young soldiers and airmen sent to a faraway land long ago. It gives them a place to share their stories and shed lingering grief. The Wall That Heals offers Vietnam veterans and their families a place to honor their fallen buddies and loved ones.
It reminds all who experience it of the true cost of freedom.
Close to home
UNG President and U.S. Army veteran Dr. Mike Shannon addressed the crowd of over 100 people. He remembered the alumni whose names are on the wall, speaking not just of their deaths but also of their lives.
Twenty-nine former University of North Georgia (neé North Georgia College) students paid the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. They died serving their country, just as they had trained and committed themselves to do as ROTC cadets.
A moving experience
Calling this monument a ‘moving wall’ speaks to its portability and effect. Standing before it, one can feel its significance deep in one’s soul.
The stern, wrinkled face of a man kneeling before the name of someone he knew; the little boy with hands lifted tracing the outline of letters that once laughed and enjoyed life; the trembling lip of a lady unable to stop the overwhelming emotion at the sight of such loss—all bring full circle the tragedy of war, the undeniable mark combat leaves on those who come home, and the reality of time.
The Wall that Heals arrived in Northeast Georgia this week, accompanied by the hope it will bring closure to some still struggling with a war that ended 50 years ago. For others, it is a place of reverent remembrance where they can whisper their gratitude and deliver a final salute.
The Wall That Heals and Mobile Education Center will be at UNG from October 29 – November 3. It will be located on the Plaza in front of the library on the Dahlonega campus. Volunteers will be at the wall 24 hours a day to answer questions and assist visitors.
