OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) – The Traveling Vietnam Wall is back in Oshkosh this weekend. It’s the fifth time this century it’s been on display in the city.
A procession led the wall to the Sunnyview Expo Center on Wednesday night, for the first time since 2016.
The Son’s of The American Legion Squadron 70 brought the replica to town. Commander Rick Helms says it means a lot to the families, like his, who have relatives named on the wall.
“You have a lot of guys and women that will come out, and they know names on the wall. So they see it, they remember, they honor those names. That’s why we do it for the communities,” Helms told WTAQ News. “It is for the people that cannot get out to DC, the people who don’t have that availability or ability, so that they can see it in their local communities.”
Helms says for those closely tied to the names on the wall, and those who aren’t, there is always a feeling of immense gratitude as people enter the building.
“There’s over 58,000 names on this wall. It’s an 80-percent replica, so it’s 360-feet long. When you walk in the building, everywhere you look there’s names, there’s memories, and that’s what really hits people hard when they walk in here,” Helms said. “People who don’t understand or don’t have a direct connection to the fallen can understand the past, the history, and what sacrifices people have made.”
The free display is open 24 hours a day, until noon on Sunday.
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