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LINCOLN – You talk to young people today, Don Polk says, and they often ask the same question.
They say, “What is Vietnam?”
That’s one of the reasons why Polk, the adjutant commandant of Lincoln’s Marine Corps League 976, welcomes the Vietnam Veterans Moving Wall to Lincoln today.
“This tells the story, when they listen to all the speeches here,” Polk said Wednesday. “It’s a good education for them, one that they don’t get in school because schools don’t teach about the Vietnam War, really.”
“The Moving Wall” is the half-size replica of the black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington that was dedicated in 1982. The replica has been touring the country for more than 20 years, according to the Web site themovingwall.org.
Built by Vietnam veterans John Devitt, Norris Shears, Gerry Haver and other volunteers, the Moving Wall went on display for the first time in Tyler, Texas, in October 1984. Two structures of the Moving Wall now travel the nation from April through November, spending about a week at each site.
The Lincoln exhibit will open at the former Lincoln Chevrolet auto dealership on West Broadway at noon today with a posting of the colors and several speeches. The public is invited.
The Wall will remain until June 4. The display will be open 24-7 during that time, although taps will be played at 8 p.m. every day, said Sonny Goodwin, commandant of Marine Corps League 976.
On Friday, Armed Forces Day, ceremonies honoring Gold Star Mothers and a tribute to posthumous Medal of Honor recipient Gary Gordon, a U.S. Army Special Forces member killed in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993, will begin at noon.
On Saturday at noon, several guest speakers will offer tributes to the veterans.
Goodwin said he expects as many as 5,000 people will probably visit the monument during its Lincoln display.
“We do this out of respect for the veterans who gave their lives in Vietnam,” Goodwin said.
Goodwin said he expects many tears to flow as veterans, and their families, are honored.
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