Veterans try to raise funds to bring replica wall to Goldsboro
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on October 16, 2012 1:46 PM
He lives with it every day -- the hole in his heart that grew larger with each life lost in Vietnam.
He sees their faces every night -- friends and comrades cut down in their prime.
So if the Wayne County Veterans and Patriots Coalition's latest mission comes to fruition, if they are able to raise the money needed to bring a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to Goldsboro next spring, the organization's president will be among those who will travel to Wayne Community College to pay homage to those who never came home.
A younger Bill Graham knew that particular conflict well.
And he lives with the costs of that war still.
Members of the coalition and other Wayne County leaders have already booked The Wall That Heals for a four-day stint at WCC in April.
But in order to ensure it makes it to Goldsboro, thousands of dollars need to be raised.
The Wall, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is approximately 250 feet in length, and like the original memorial is erected in a chevron-shape. The replica is constructed of powder-coated aluminum, supported by an aluminum frame, and is made up of 24 individual panels, each containing six columns of names.
As on the Vietnam Wall, the names on the replica are listed by day of casualty.
But the wall, itself, is only part of the Wall That Heals experience.
A traveling museum accompanies the replica -- one that includes, among other things, photos of service members whose names are found on the memorial, letters and memorabilia that have been left at the wall in D.C. and a map of Vietnam and a chronological overview of the conflict in Vietnam.
The memorial has visited more than 350 cities and towns throughout the nation since its inception.
Graham hopes Goldsboro will make that list.
For more information on how you can help make that a reality, contact Graham at (919) 394-2200.