Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica coming to Sanford

Visitors walk along the Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica wall. Tiffany Wier photo

The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial along with a mobile Education Center, is set to be in Sanford Tuesday through Sunday, Sept. 5-10. It will be located on Route 109 in South Sanford, across from Walmart.

The Wall will be open 24 hours a day starting on Thursday, Sept. 7, and be free to the public. It 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 58,281 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam, according to a news release from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

“Hosting The Wall That Heals provides an opportunity to honor and remember all those who served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War and educate visitors on the continuing impact of the Vietnam War on America,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of the fund, which built the original memorial in Washington, D.C. in 1982.

The Wall is transported from community to community in a 53-foot trailer. When parked, the trailer opens with exhibits built into its sides, allowing it to serve as a mobile education center telling the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall and the divisive era in American history.

The three-quarter scale Wall replica is 375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at its tallest point. Visitors can experience The Wall rising above them as they walk towards the apex, a key feature of the design of The Wall in D.C. Visitors are able to do name rubbings of individual service member’s names on The Wall.

The Mobile Education Center exhibit includes digital photo displays of “Hometown Heroes” — service members whose names are on The Wall that list their home of record within the area of a visit; digital photo displays of Vietnam veterans from the local area honored through VVMF’s In Memory program which honors veterans who returned home from Vietnam and later died; video displays that teach about the history and impact of The Wall; educational exhibits told through items representative of those left at The Wall in D.C.; a replica of the In Memory plaque; a map of Vietnam and a chronological overview of the Vietnam War.

The exhibits tell the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall and the era surrounding the conflict, and are designed to put American experiences in Vietnam in a historical and cultural context.

For more information, visit thewallthathealssanfordme.org or thewallthatheals.org.