The Traveling Wall

Thousands pour in to touch the names of fallen heroes.

In May 2016, the Blue Star Salute Foundation held its annual celebration at the USS Battleship Park.  The Community Foundation along with the South Alabama Veterans Council, the Blue Star Salute Foundation, the City of Mobile, and Battleship Memorial Park brought the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall replica exhibit for a five-day period at Battleship Park.  It arrived by motorcycle escort and was open for 24-hour public viewing.

“The Wall That Heals” is approximately 250 feet in length and constructed in a chevron shape identical to the original wall in D.C. The 58,000 names of soldiers who died during service in Vietnam are listed by day of casualty.

A generation returned from the Vietnam War to a less than welcoming reception.

The installation of “The Wall” brought over 10,000 South Alabama veterans and family members to acknowledge and, hopefully, begin the journey of healing from the sacrifices and losses of the Vietnam War.