By: Sharon Aron Baron
The Moving Wall, a half-sized replica of the original memorial in Washington D.C which has been touring the country for over 30 years, will be coming to Coral Springs honoring the men and women who served in the Vietnam War.
When John Devitt attended the 1982 dedication in Washington, he felt the positive power of “The Wall.” He vowed to share that experience with those who did not have the opportunity to go to Washington.
John, Norris Shears, Gerry Haver, and other Vietnam veteran volunteers built The Moving Wall. It went on display for the first time in Tyler, Texas in October of 1984. Two structures of The Moving Wall now travel the USA from April through November, spending about a week at each site.
Commissioner Lou Cimaglia, who has been working with the Veterans Coalition of Coral Springs to bring the The Moving Wall to the City, finally gets to see this day come.
“Teaching our youngsters about what happened in our history is what it’s all about,” Cimaglia said. “We want to make this a South Florida event, and we just want people to come out and pay homage to the 58,000 soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
The Wall will be on display at the Sportsplex from October 22 – 26, 2015 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and residents and scout troops from Tamarac and surrounding areas are encouraged to visit. There will also be ceremonies at 6:30 p.m. each evening to commemorate the Vietnam Veterans.
Prior to its arrival, it will be in Evans, Georgia and afterwards it will travel to Yazoo City, Mississippi.
Residents will have the opportunity to leave mementos at the Wall, and all items will be sent back to The Moving Wall Museum in Washington D.C. Sponsoring this initiative and fundraisers were held throughout the year to raise the $5,000.