The official Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) traveling exhibit, “The Wall That Heals”, will be making a stop in western Kentucky this June as part of its 2024 national tour.
The traveling exhibit will be located in Russellville, one of 33 towns chosen out of over 100 applications, according to Logan County Honor Group Chair and professional genealogist Denise Shoulders.
She adds Russellville is the only stop in the Commonwealth that will see the traveling exhibit this year. It will be the Wall’s 14th stop before traveling to North Carolina, then all throughout the country.
Shoulders says “The Wall That Heals” is a perfect three-quarter replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The exhibit will arrive in Bowling Green on Monday, June 4, and will travel via escort to Russellville. Whether it’s on two, three, or four wheels, Shoulders invites everyone in the region who wants to participate in the escort to come honor and recognize the Vietnam Veterans and give them the symbolic welcome home they never received.
The escort will end where the exhibit will begin — at Russellville’s Walnut Grove Baptist Church, located beside the City-County Park and Highway 431. The exhibit will be set up Tuesday, June 5 and Shoulders asks anyone who has a family member’s name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to come place the panel with their name on “The Wall That Heals.”
An opening ceremony will be held Wednesday, June 6 at 9 a.m., with an hour-long presentation and special guest speaker. There will also be a PTSD awareness candlelight vigil on Saturday, June 8 at sundown. The exhibit will remain up until the afternoon of Sunday, June 9.
Shoulders says she thinks it’s important for Veterans to come out and see “The Wall That Heals” for any amount of healing it may offer them, even if it is just a little bit.
She adds she is still looking for volunteers to help with the Wall as it will be open 24/7, rain or shine — because Veterans do not get those breaks.
Volunteers will operate in four-hour time shifts around the clock. The Logan County Genealogy Society’s website has all details on volunteering, escort participation, and tours. Shoulders says a lot of information will also be shared through the Logan County Honor Group Facebook page.
Since its unveiling in 1996, “The Wall That Heals” has allowed thousands of Veterans to experience the Wall within their own communities and the names of those who have passed to be among familiar surroundings once more. According to the Logan County Genealogy Society, of the over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 1,059 belong to Kentuckians and two belong to Todd Countians: Billy Joe Cole, of Guthrie and Dennis Michael Groves, of Elkton.
Photo from Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) website.
