Traveling Vietnam War veteran memorial is stopping in SLO County. Here’s how to visit it
A traveling memorial for Vietnam War veterans will stop in San Luis Obispo County next year.
The County of San Luis Obispo Veterans Services Office and the Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum will host The Wall That Heals from March 16 to 19, 2023 at the Madonna Meadows outside of the Madonna Inn, according to a news release from the San Luis Obispo County Veteran Services Office.
The Wall That Heals is a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., that tours the country with a mobile education center. Like the original replica, it features the names of 58,281 people who died in the Vietnam War.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund built the original Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982, and built a replica to share with communities across the United States in 1996, the release said.
Since then, it has traveled to more than 700 communities across the United States, as well as Ireland and Canada. It’s previously visited San Luis Obispo.
“Hosting The Wall That Heals provides an opportunity to honor and remember all those who served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War and educate visitors on the continuing impact of the Vietnam War on America,” Jim Knotts, president and CEO of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, said in the release.
Once installed outdoors at Madonna Meadows, The Wall That Heals will be open 24 hours a day without an entrance fee, the release said.
Visitors will have the opportunity “to do name rubbings of individual service member’s names on The Wall,” according to the release.
The memorial, which is 375 feet long and 7.5 feet tall, travels in a 53-foot trailer that transforms into a mobile education center once the memorial is assembled.
The education center will include a photo display of San Luis Obispo veterans who fought in Vietnam, along with videos detailing the history of the Vietnam War, the impact of the memorial and “educational exhibits told through items representative of those left at the Wall in D.C.,” the news release said.
“The exhibits tell the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall and the area surrounding the conflict, and are designed to put American experiences in Vietnam in a historical and cultural context,” the news release said.
Kari Leslie, the lead coordinator for the Center for Military-Connected Students at Cal Poly, expects 20,000 visitors to stop by The Wall That Heals while it’s in San Luis Obispo — with 300 to 400 volunteers assisting with setting up the memorial, running it and then taking it down.
“I truly hope that those who served take the time to visit, reflect, and pay respects,” county Veterans Services officer Morgan Boyd said in the release.
For more information, go to https://vetmuseum.org/the-wall-that-heals/.
This story was originally published December 21, 2022 at 5:30 AM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of the story incorrectly stated that the Madonna Inn was hosting the memorial, and that the event would require 3,000 to 4,000 volunteers. The County of San Luis Obispo Veterans Services Office and the Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum is hosting the memorial in partnership with the Madonna Inn, and the event requires 300 to 400 volunteers. The errors have been corrected.
