‘The Wall That Heals’ arrives in La Pine with flag-flying procession, motorcycle escort
Replica of Vietnam Veterans Memorial opens to public Wednesday
La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Culminating three years of community-wide efforts, the four-day visit of The Wall That Heals – a ¾-replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. – began Tuesday with a 200-motorcycle escort and flag-filled motorcade that accompanied it to the viewing site on Sixth Street in La Pine.
It will be open 24 hours a day, from Wednesday until Sunday, and admission is free to the public.
As the only Oregon stop during TWTH’s 2021 nationwide tour, La Pine joins 28 other cities in 18 states in hosting the replica and mobile education center – which honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War, and bears the names of the 58,279 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice during this divisive conflict.
The display -- 375 feet long, 7.5-feet high, and transported in a 53-foot trailer -- is accompanied by educational exhibits that tell the story of the Vietnam War, and are designed to put American experiences in a historical and cultural context. Visitors are able to locate names of specific service members, learn facts about them, and do rubbings of individual names.
La Pine was also selected for the 2020 season, which was aborted by the pandemic, and chose to reapply for the honor – putting itself once again in competition with many more cities than could be accommodated. The tour has taken place since 1996, traveling to more than 700 communities during that 25-year span, and spreading the Memorial’s healing legacy to millions.
Said Michele Hoffman, chair of the committee that spearheaded efforts to procure TWTH (including raising more than $25,000 in donations and in-kind contributions), “This has been an immense undertaking, and our success is a tribute to all the help and support we received from the La Pine community, and our hard-working committee. It promises to be an amazing and unforgettable experience.”
NewsChannel 21 earlier this month interviewed Patricia Lopez, one of the hostesses who bee at the memorial, and whose father was killed in action in Vietnam.
Timeline for The Wall That Heals in La Pine, Sept. 28 – Oct. 3
Tuesday, Sept. 28 –
2:30 p.m.: The escort accompanying The Wall That Heals (TWTH) leaves Day and Burgess roads, traveling Burgess to Huntington, to 3rd, to Walker and into the back gates of Frontier Days Events land at 16260 6th St.
Wednesday, Sept. 29 -
8:30 a.m. Volunteers begin setting up TWTH Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica & Mobile Education Center
1 p.m. 1st flag is raised, and TWTH is officially opened to the public
5:45 p.m. Flag is lowered
Thursday, Sept. 30 –
7 a.m. Flag is raised by American Legion Post 45
10:30 a.m. Air Force fly-over (time subject to change)
12 noon U.S. Navy Honor Guard lowers and folds the flag, then raises another, in emulation of flag-folding ceremony -- a tribute to fallen veterans
5 p.m. Welcoming Ceremony
6 p.m. JR ROTC retires the colors, accompanied by echo Taps
Friday, Oct. 1 –
7 a.m. Flag is raised by American Legion Post 45 Honor Guard
10:30 a.m. U.S. Army Honor Guard lowers and folds the flag, then raises another, in emulation of flag-folding ceremony – a tribute to fallen veterans
6 p.m. JR ROTC retires the colors, accompanied by echo Taps
Saturday, Oct. 2 –
7 a.m. Flag is raised by American Legion Post 45
12 noon U.S. Army Honor Guard lowers and folds the flag, then raises another, in emulation of flag-folding ceremony – a tribute to fallen veterans
6 p.m. JR ROTC retires the colors, accompanied by echo Taps
Sunday, Oct. 3 –
7 a.m. Flag is raised by American Legion Post 45
12 noon Prineville Honor Guard lowers and folds the flag, then raises another, in emulation of flag-folding ceremony – a tribute to fallen veterans
1:30 p.m. Closing Ceremony
2 p.m. Volunteers begin taking down TWTH Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica & Mobile Education Center
More information at: https://www.vvmf.org/The-Wall-That-Heals/
