Vietnam Wall in Harvey

58-thousand names are spread out across the park in Harvey now the names are of those who died i...  More »

58-thousand names are spread out across the park in Harvey now the names are of those who died in the Vietnam War. The Vietnam Moving Wall is open to the public now through Sunday. Jim Olson was there and shows us what you can see... I'm a veteran of Viet Nam. I served in 1971 in Viet Nam. Dean Johnson of Harvey has never been to Washington to see the full-scale VietNam Veterans Memorial Wall - but even this half-scale version now standing in Harvey stirs his emotions (Are there some names of people you knew on here?) Yes there is, there are friends of mine some buddies that....uh... But as much as it hurts for Johnson to remember his buddies who died in Viet Nam, he says the Wall actually heals It's a wall that was designed for people to come here and have a healing effect more than opening any old wounds and it has done that for me and I'm sure for many veterans. And now, thanks to the efforts of Jeanette Arnold and a committee of volunteers in Harvey, the Moving Wall has been erected in Harvey's Pioneer Park When you consider what's on it and what happened, why, it's emotional too. Bob Volk helped prepare the foundation for the 252-foot-long monument It had to be level from one side to the other, and that's kind of the main thing I was involved in. And now that it's standing straight, many people are coming to see the Moving Wall - looking for names of friends, There he is, third one in, Randy Vedros. ...of community members, of comrades in arms. I came to do a rubbing of my best friend in high school. He and I were both drafted into the service during the Viet Nam war and thirty days after he was drafted, he stepped on a land mine. And remember Jeanette Arnold, who pushed to get the Moving Wall to Harvey? That's her brother Randy Marthe of Fessenden, a victim of the war. She has his letters in her car - and placed a photo of him by the Moving Wall. No matter who you are or where you're from, it seems you know somebody friend, brother, cousin, no matter what the situation may be there's an attachment to this wall by everybody in the country. Dean Johnson says it's an honor to stand next to the Wall When you realize there are over 58,000 men on this wall, you walk up to it and see that black shiny reflection, you almost see the reflection of your buddies and the veterans who have lost their lives looking back at you. And he says he plans to visit the original memorial in Washington DC after his retirement. In Harvey, Jim Olson, KX News. The Moving Wall is open 24 hours a day and there will be a closing ceremony this Sunday at 3-pm.  « Less