Posted: 7/20/04
Moving Wall coming to Houston Hoedown
The ìVietnam Memorial Moving Wallî will be on display now through this Sunday in Houston during the 31st annual ìHouston Hoedown Days.î
The wall will be on display in Trailhead Park in Houston and is open to the public at no charge. Name rubbing forms will also be available. The moving wall is an exact 1/2 size replica of the wall in Washington D.C.
A grand ceremony honoring The Wall and its 58,000 names will start at 5 p.m. with a parade from the American Legion to the park.
This will be followed by a ceremony that will include a flyover by four F16 fighter jets at 1,000 feet.
Representatives of family members from Houston County who have relatives on the wall will be present. Here are the war victims from Houston County on the wall and their representatives.
ï Dewaine Brickman, Browns-ville, represented by his brother, David Brickman.
ï Kevin Goodno, Spring Grove, represented by his nephew, Arden Auna.
ï Jerry Johnson, Rushford, represented by his mother, Bernice Johnson, Rushford, and his sister.
ï Roger Lewis, Caledonia, represented by his mother, Mary Lewis.
ï Bill Quillen, Brownsville, represented by his mother, Lois.
ï Robert Tschumper, La Crescent, represented by his sister, Cindy Welke.
ï Robert Wennes, Spring Grove, represented by his mother, Darlene Strinman.
First time in county
The replica is one of two that tour the country. The idea came to a man named John Devitt, who attended the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC on November 13, 1982. He and other veterans built a half-sized replica, which went on display in October of 1984.
It is made of aluminum panels painted a glossy black and mounted to aluminum frames.
Two of the Moving Wall replicas now travel the United States from April through November, spending about a week at each site.
This is the first time The Moving Wall has been in Houston County. Information about the Moving Wall can be found on the internet at themovingwall.org.
Lyle Ellis, a member of the
Houston American Legion, worked on getting the wall to Houston after a young person asked him if Vietnam veterans had a memorial.
Ellis put in a request, and asked for it to come at the time of the Hoedown. He picked that time because the event brings a lot of people to town, and it is a family event. ìAnd some of the younger people could get educated about the wall, what it means, and what the names on it mean.î
Officials with The Moving Wall said they could do it on that date, which was lucky, Ellis was told.
The names are of the men who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that people can do what they do today, Ellis feels. ìWithout the men and women whose names are on the wall, our freedom might not be there.î
Itís also a symbol for the men who see their friends names on the wall. ìTheyíre not forgotten and they never will be. Itís a symbol of freedom.î
The wall is almost universally seen a a powerful monument that brings out strong emotions. ìYou see over 58,000 names and it kind of hits you as to just how powerful that war era was,î Ellis said.
Community support has been outstanding, not only from Houston but from surrounding cities, he added. People have been volunteering for things like guard duty or working at the information booth.
ìItís not for just us,î Ellis said, referring to the Legion.îItís for everybody. And thatís exactly whatís happening. Itís unbelievable.î
Caledonia Argus
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