Donations needed to bring veterans' memorial to Decatur

Published Thursday, April 24, 2008

By Chris Butler

A Wise County veterans' group needs $9,000 to bring a 250-foot replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to Decatur in December as part of a year-long 23-city tour.

Members of the Wise County Veterans Council have plans to display the replica, known as "The Wall That Heals" in Decatur Dec. 11-14 between the tennis courts and the old high school (the current middle school). The council has raised about $3,000 and will ask for contributions to offset the cost of bringing the wall to Wise County.

The $9,000 is needed to pay for two truck drivers to haul the replica to Decatur, generate publicity and publish booklets about the wall for anyone who visits, said Jim Donovan, chairman of the committee to bring the wall to Decatur.

"A lot of veterans around the county are already starting to talk about it. This display will actually be quite a powerful thing emotionally, and we may even have professional counselors on site to help," Donovan said.

The non-profit Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is organizing the tour and is also responsible for preserving the original wall in Washington, D.C. The group relies on sponsorships and financial contributions and doesn't rely on government aid. The wall contains the names of 58,000 American servicemen and women who were either killed or missing in action during the Vietnam conflict.

Organizers have taken the wall to more than 230 cities since its dedication in 1996. Residents of only 23 American cities will see the wall this calendar year, and Decatur will be the last city on the tour if the council raises the $9,000, Donovan said.

"This is the only true traveling wall. There are other replicas of the Vietnam Wall out there for people to see, but people are charged to see those," Donovan said, adding other replicas aren't affiliated with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

The tour will also feature a Traveling Museum and Information Center chronicling the Vietnam War, the people who were involved and the history of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Web site.

Anyone interested in making a contribution or sponsoring the wall is asked to call Donovan at (940) 627-3640 or (940) 627-2690.

"Any extra money we collect beyond the $9,000 will go to needy veterans here in Wise County," Donovan said.