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May
30
Written by:
Memorial Vietnam Wall
5/30/2009 9:54 AM
Traveling Vietnam Wall Comes to Piedmont
Community Invited to Pay Respects to America’s War Veterans
Free and open to the public 24 hours a day from Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5, the replica is eight feet high and 240 feet long. Its black, reflective surface is inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 servicemen and women who died or are missing in Vietnam . Paper and pencils will be provided so visitors can make rubbings of names etched on the wall.
The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall is dedicated to all Americans who served in Vietnam and honors all veterans of the U.S. military. The three-day exhibition is sponsored locally by Chapel Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens in partnership with the citizens of Piedmont .
“The monument was created as a service to those who might never travel to the nation’s capital to experience the Vietnam Wall firsthand,” said Tim Rolfs, market director of the Dignity Memorial network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers in Oklahoma City . The Dignity Memorial provider network created the replica in 1990. “Our replica offers visitors a chance for healing and reflections, and we are very pleased to be able to share it with the community,” Rolfs said.
Activities and ceremonies planned in conjunction with the exhibition include the following:
- A motorcade of Vietnam veterans and other riders from area motorcycle clubs will depart the El Reno VFW in El Reno , Okla. at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1 to escort the wall to Piedmont High School ’s Stout Field, where it is scheduled to arrive at 7:30 p.m.
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The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall will be open to teachers and school groups for an Education Day on Thursday, July 2, before the exhibit opens to the general public. Educators interested in scheduling a tour for their students should contact Brooke Kuns at brookek@piedmont-ok.gov or 405-373-2621.
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On Thursday, July 2 and Saturday, July 4 at 10 a.m., Larry Inman, local Vietnam Veteran, will lead a flag ceremony, and discuss the history of the various United States flags.
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The Opening Ceremony, which is dedicated to all Gold Star families, will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 3. Following the F-16 and helicopter flyover, Judge Ken Dickerson will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Speakers include Mike Fina, mayor of Piedmont, Okla.; Jeri Askins, lieutenant governor of Oklahoma, Brig. Gen. Michael McCormack, of the Oklahoma Air National Guard; and Col. Jennifer Graham, commander of the 71st Mission Support Group at Vance Air Force Base. The ceremony will also include a reading of fallen heroes from Canadian County and the laying of wreaths by Vietnam veterans from each branch of the military.
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On Independence Day, the service will begin at 8:15 p.m. will feature guest speaker Judge Robert Davis, a Vietnam veteran. The service also features a POW/MIA ceremony and a performance by the Yukon Honor Choir.
“Piedmont is delighted to host the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall and give residents a chance to see it, touch it and experience its magnitude,” said Ken Dickerson, retired Canadian County judge and co-chairman of the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall steering committee. “We encourage all residents of Central Oklahoma to visit it and honor our veterans.”
After Piedmont, the monument will be on display in Seattle from August 14-16, 2009. To date, the replica has traveled to more than 200 cities across the country and has been visited by millions of Americans.
The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall is one of many efforts of the Dignity Memorial network to honor and support our nation’s veterans and active military. Other initiatives and programs include the Veterans Planning Guide, the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program, the Dignity Memorial Military Family Careline, educational veterans seminars and special pricing and benefits for members of three veterans service organizations.
Chapel Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens is a proud Dignity Memorial provider in Oklahoma City . The Dignity Memorial network of more than 1,600 funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers is North America ’s most trusted resource for funeral and memorialization services. Dignity Memorial providers offer an unmatched combination of products and locations serving families with care, integrity, respect and service excellence. For more information, call 405-721-3182 or visit www.DignityMemorial.com.
OKLAHOMA CITY – (May 20, 2009) – The Dignity Memorial® Vietnam Wall, a three-quarter-scale traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be open for public viewing July 3-5 at Piedmont High School’s Stout Field near the intersection of OK-Highway 4 and Edmond Road in Piedmont, Okla.
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