Volunteer efforts and flag sponsorships are still available for The Moving Wall, which will be arriving in Yazoo County next month.
The nation’s original traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be open to the public, 24 hours a day, from Oct. 29 until Nov. 2 at 1490 E. Broadway, located at the former Yazoo Motor Company. Baptist Medical Center Yazoo now owns the property and has allowed for the Yazoo County Chamber of Commerce to use it.
The Chamber will be sponsoring this special event, which will also be held in conjunction with its annual Veterans Parade.
“We are honored that The Moving Wall will visit our community and appreciate the generous efforts of the committee in bringing this very special experience to Yazoo County, said Supervisor Jayne Dew. “The memorial helps to bring healing to veterans, families and friends of those who died or are missing in Vietnam, especially those who may not have the opportunity to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.
Pat Brock, chairman of The Yazoo Salute the Troops committee, began working on efforts to bring The Moving Wall to the Yazoo community last year.
“As the daughter of a Vietnam veteran and the wife of a Vietnam-era veteran, this memorial tribute represents love and sacrifice,” Brock said. “When I was asked by our local veterans to contact The Moving Wall organization, I wrote a letter about the struggle for recovery from two tornado strikes and a historical flood which occurred within the timespan of one year, devastating Yazoo County. The impression I wanted to make about the good people in our county working hard to reestablish homes and businesses found its mark in the hearts of the people in The Moving Wall organization, which resulted in Yazoo County being awarded the honor of hosting this event.”
The Chamber continues to accept volunteers for The Moving Wall, ranging from informational booth attendants to name location assistants and much more.
The Chamber will also have 25 flags to fly behind The Moving Wall. Flag sponsorships are available at $100 per flag, dedicated to a living or deceased veteran with the sponsorship indicated on a handout available at the Information Booth for the Names on The Wall. These sponsorships can be a "dedication" or "in memoriam.” Flags will aso be available to sponsors after the event.
The local committee will also be compiling a list of all Yazoo County veterans who served in Vietnam. If you served in Vietnam, please contact the Chamber office at 746-1273.
The Moving Wall visits between 22 and 28 cities in the United States each year, with up to 100,000 people visiting at each spot.
Many of those who visit The Moving Wall leave flowers, notes, medals, photographs and other momentos at the memorial.
Trained volunteers will also be on site to help people identify the location of names they seek.
Bob Bailey, Vietnam veteran and local community leader, said he looks forward to finding the names of six friends he served with during that era.
“After 50 years, I still think of them often and am looking forward to touching those names on The Moving Wall again as I was able to do years ago at the memorial,” Bailey said.
Jason Patterson, the Yazoo County Chamber president, is happy that the Yazoo community will have an opportunity to show its appreciation to its veterans and honor those who gave their lives in service of their country.
“The Vietnam Wall is particularly meaningful to me because my father served in the 101st Airborne Division,” Patterson said. “I had a chance to visit the memorial in Washington D.C. with him once, and I watched him seek out the names of friends he served with who were killed. He shared memories of each individual and sometimes spoke of how they died. That was a very powerful experience for me that really helped me have a greater understanding of the sacrifices made.”
The Moving Wall measures 250 feet long, four-feet tall at each end and six-feet tall in the center. The memorial also holds the 58,245 names of the American dead.
There is no admission fee to visit The Moving Wall.
Those who would like to volunteer or need more information on donations or flag sponsorships may contact Whitney Hurt, executive director of The Chamber, at 746-1273 or email at
chamber@ycedd.com or by visiting the website at
www.themovingwallyazoocounty.org. “We still have a long ways to go to get sufficient funds to make this a proper successful experience,” Hurt said. “We are working on fundraising plans and donations of time from volunteers from the people in Yazoo County and other counties in the Middle Mississippi region.”
