A scaled replica of the traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial made its way through Wamego Wednesday morning on its way to Wamego City Park. Opening ceremonies for “The Wall That Heals” will be Thursday at 10 a.m. at Wamego City Park.
Caterpillar Wamego Operations and the Wamego Area Chamber of Commerce partnered to bring the memorial, along with a mobile Education Center, to Wamego.
Event schedules are as follows:
Opening Ceremony:
- Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard (Ft. Riley)
- Roger Donlan, first recipient of Medal of Honor in Vietnam (1964)
- Tracey Mann, Kansas Lt. Governor
- Ron Highland, Kansas State Representative
- Paul Olsen, Facility Manager – Caterpillar Wamego Operations
- Merl Page, Wamego City Manager
Closing Ceremony – Sunday, 1 p.m. Wamego City Park:
- Michael Dodson, LTGen, USA (Ret)
- Greg Rusk, Work Tools Global Operations Manager – Caterpillar Wamego Operations
- Wamego City and Chamber of Commerce Officials
A program of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the organization that built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 1982, “The Wall That Heals” 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 more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
(Above photos courtesy Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund)
The new, larger exhibit includes a three-quarter scale Wall replica that is 375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at its tallest point. For the first time in the history of the replica, all names are etched into the wall surface and visitors will be able to do name rubbings of individual service member’s names on it. More information on the VVMF and the memorial can be found at www.TheWallThatHeals.org.
“VVMF is pleased to bring ‘The Wall That Heals’ mobile exhibit to Wamego, Kansas, to allow local veterans and their family members a chance to visit The Wall and honor and remember those who have served and sacrificed,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of VVMF.
“This is a unique opportunity for us to honor those who served in the Vietnam War, as well as the veterans within Caterpillar and in our community,” said Greg Rusk, Global Operations Manager for Caterpillar Work Tools. “We are honored and humbled to be a part of bringing ‘The Wall That Heals’ to Wamego.”
“It is a pleasure to work with our great community partners at Caterpillar to bring this impactful memorial to Wamego,” said Jeff Wick, President of the Wamego Area Chamber of Commerce. “Our community is known for coming together to support meaningful causes, and ‘The Wall That Heals’ will be a wonderful opportunity to band together to honor and remember our servicemen and women.”
