For those who have yet to see the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., you might get a chance to see a replica without leaving the state.
The Wall that Heals — a traveling replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall — is making its way to an open field in Moorestown, behind the Mt. Laurel YMCA on June 5.
Dave Walters, Moorestown resident and Army vet who served in Vietnam, said, on June 4, there will be an escort traveling east on Main Street from Camden Avenue to Centerton Road at the Y.
The wall is made up of 25 panels spanning 250 feet. It contains 58,492 names, Walters said. The wall is supposed to heal open wounds left behind from the war.
Numerous Vietnam veterans have never been to the wall because of flashbacks and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“They have too many good buddies lost. It’s difficult for them, and that’s part of what it is. It’s a healing,” Walters said. “Hopefully, they will be able to come out and talk to other vets that have been there and will go up to the wall with them.”
Veterans from different wars, such as the Korean War, World War II and even Operation Iraqi Freedom, come to the wall and create a sense of camaraderie.
The average citizen who visits the wall shows a connection to the war.
Walters said he has visited the wall when it traveled to other towns around the country.
According to The Wall that Heals’ website, three people from Moorestown — George S. Yohnnson, Walter Phillip Seel Jr. and Roger A. Ross — were killed in action.
Walters said it’s the reaction he witnessed in other towns that wanted him to bring the wall to the area.
“It’s like it brings out honor and reaction from the people in the town because everybody from that town has someone on that wall. The people that have gone to the wall I think are amazed to see all the names in one spot,” he said.
There is an educational aspect to having the wall make a trip to the area. Walters said he doesn’t think the Vietnam War is discussed in the classroom as much as other wars. But the wall would bring a visual representation of the war and teach not only children, but also adults about the history.
As for the turnout, Walters said he couldn’t put an exact figure on the number of people who will show up. However, he is hoping for a crowd.
“I’m hoping we don’t have enough room to walk,” he said.
The opening ceremony, the day after the escort through Moorestown, will be on Wednesday, June 5 at 5:30 p.m. Walters said the wall would be set up around 9 a.m. The wall would remain open to the public 24/7 until after the closing ceremony on June 9 at 2 p.m.
Volunteers for security duty, visitor assistance and motorcycle escorts are in need. For more information or to sign up to volunteer, visit www.patriotconnections.org/vietnamwall/.
Burlington County Vietnam War fallen soldiers
The following are the names of Burlington County Vietnam War soldiers who were killed in action, according to The Wall That Heals’ website: Robert Lee York (Maple Shade), George S. Yohnnson (Moorestown), James Wesley Widdis, Jr. (Riverside), William Thomas Vohringer (Vincentown), John C. Usilton (Riverside), Arcadio Torres (Mt. Holly), Anthony W. Torres (Mt. Holly), John K. Tooke (Willingboro), William E. Tieman (Delanco), Joseph M. Thorn (Bordentown), Leon Tetkoski (Roebling), Boyd Shook (Jobstown), Leonard E. Sexton (Cookstown), Alfred Sevenski (Willingboro), Walter Phillip Seel, Jr. (Moorestown), Donald J. Seaman (Mt. Holly), Frank Schuster (Willingboro), Richard C. Schoenberg (Palmyra), Stephen J. Saluga III (Medford), Anthony John Salerno (Cinnaminson), Roger A. Ross (Moorestown), Louis V. Romanelli (Willingboro), Chester M. Rencevicz (Burlington), Joseph J. Reilly (Mt. Holly), Wayne P. Reeves (Mt. Holly), Albert R. Potter (Browns Mills), Richard Plotts (Mt. Holly), David B. Owen (Juliustown), Frank Ogburn, Jr. (Burlington), William W. Nickerson (Burlington), Stephen B. Murray (Riverside), William Francis Moseley (Mt. Laurel), Rainer K. Morgan (McGuire Air Force Base), William C. Moorhouse (Maple Shade), Paul John Mongillo (Riverside), Weldon John Miles (Cinnaminson), William D. Meara, Jr. (Mt. Holly), George L. McWilliams (Palmyra), Howard H. Mayer (Moorestown), Ezra B. Marter (Burlington), Barry A. Manthey (Columbus), Thomas A. Lowden (Burlington), Luis B. Lopez (Mt. Holly), Benjamin F. Lewis, Jr. (Fort Dix), Edwin H. Levering (Rancocas Woods), Gregory Stanley Kowaleski (Riverside), Andrew J. Kiefhaber (Browns Mills), James H. Kennard (Burlington) and Armstead Johnson (Willingboro).
