‘The Wall That Heals’ brings honor and healing to Whiteville
WHITEVILLE, NC (WWAY) — A replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. arrived in Whiteville Tuesday.
“The Wall That Heals” is giving the community a chance to honor the fallen.
The Wall That Heals — a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be on display at Veterans Memorial Park of America in Whiteville this week.
Heidi Zimmerman, vice president of programs and communications with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, says the exhibit travels around to honor Vietnam Veterans.
“It honors all of those who served in Vietnam. So, the 58,281 men and woman whose names are on the wall who died in Vietnam as well as all those who served,” Zimmerman shared.
U.S. Navy Veteran W.H. Morris, who served in Vietnam, says returning home was a painful experience.
“From Vietnam we were pushed down, we were spat on, we were called baby killers, we were called all of these things, but we were only doing the job that we were told to do from Washington,” Morris recalled.
Zimmerman says that part of their goal is to make sure that all who served are welcomed home with open arms.
“The Vietnam generation has kind of made that promise, that no generation since then will come home to that same kind of not being welcomed home. So, that is a big part of what we do with our educational efforts,” Zimmerman stated.
Zimmerman adds that not every veteran or families can make it to Washington D.C., so it is important to travel with the replica.
For Morris, having the replica in Whiteville is both meaningful and healing.
“For me to see that they are getting their recognition, the Vietnam veterans are getting recognition now it means a lot to me because I am one of the ones, I am one of the ones in there,” Morris said.
The exhibit will remain in Whiteville through the weekend. It is open to the public 24 hours a day, until it closes at 2 pm on Sunday. It will then head to Roxboro.
