Sentinel staff report–
A traveling, 375-foot-long “Wall That Heals” Vietnam memorial will be set up this week at Rusch Park, with an opening ceremony slated for March 29.
According to retired American Legion Post 637 spokesman Paul Reyes, the mobile replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. will arrive on Tuesday, March 28, and will be open to the public beginning March 30 at Rusch Community Park. The opening ceremony is slated to begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
The memorial wall will be open to the public 24 hours a day and will continue through April 2, with a closing ceremony slated for 1:30 p.m. on the final day, according to the wall’s website. A schedule posted at thewallthathealscitrusheights.com says a reading of names will take place at 7:15 p.m. on March 30, March 31 and April 1.
As previously reported, the City Council last year voted unanimously to approve a $10,000 grant to help cover costs associated with bringing the wall to Citrus Heights.
The traveling replica has been displayed in over 700 communities across the United States since its unveiling in 1996, according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s website.
The mobile wall is a three-quarter scale replica of the original memorial, measuring at 375 feet in length and seven-and-a-half feet high.
A mobile education center will also be part of the exhibit, with its goal to give veterans who cannot travel to Washington, D.C. the “strength and courage” to face the names on the Wall in order to find healing.
The education exhibit includes displays of photos of local heroes and honored veterans, a replica of an “In Memory” plaque, a map of Vietnam, and a timeline of the war and the original Wall. Visitors also have the opportunity to make rubbings of individual service member names.
Rusch Community Park is located at 7801 Auburn Blvd in Citrus Heights.
A full list of the schedule of events surrounding The Wall That Heals’ visit to Citrus Heights is posted at thewallthathealscitrusheights.com. Volunteers are also being sought to work four-hour shifts at the event to assist and welcome visitors.
