MUNNSVILLE, MADISON CO. -- The Moving Wall, a half-scale replica of Washington, DC's Vietnam Veterans Memorial, is visiting Munnsville in Madison County. The Moving Wall is a spectacular sight, standing 6 feet high and 250 feet long, with 58,261 names engraved upon it. The wall honors those killed in action, missing in action, and prisoner of war heroes from the Vietnam war. "A lot of my friends didn't make it back," said Keith Conrad, a Korea and Vietnam veteran.
It's particularly poignant for Conrad, who's looking for the name of a friend he lost, Donny Landers. He's a young man who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. "There's a lot of people that have no idea what it's about and hopefully this will pass on to the younger generation, war isn't fun," Conrad said.
This mobile monument has been traveling around the country for more than 25 years. It's visited Central New York three times, but this is a first for the Munnsville community. Organizers expect between 40,000 and 70,000 people from across the state to come pay their respects. "Some people will never make it to Washington to see the original wall and it's a good thing to do for our veterans, for our community. It brings people together," said Tuesday Hamoy of the Munnsville Legion, Post 54.
They'll be reading the names around the clock, all 58,261 of them, the entire time the Moving Wall is here. It's a chance to say thank you to those who gave their lives for our freedom and to honor brave young men and women we should never forget. "Those are the heroes. Those names on the wall are the heroes," Conrad said.
The wall will be manned 24 hours a day so veterans, families and friends of the fallen can pay their respects at any time.
The wall will be located at Stockbridge Valley Central School through Monday.
