Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is Coming to the Dalton
DALTON, Mass. — The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is visiting the American Legion from Friday, Sept. 15 through the 17th.
The wall, also referred to as "The Healing Wall," honors the fallen military personnel of the Vietnam War and acts as a reminder of the sacrifices they made.
The names of 58,311 casualties are listed on the 6-foot-tall wall that spans 300 feet.
For many, traveling to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is not possible. The traveling wall is three-quarters the scale of the monument and provides people a chance to see these names,
Seeing the names on the wall can be a healing process for the veterans who lost people in the war, Dalton American Legion Rider Cindy Raymond said.
"I think sometimes they can come and they'll see the name on the wall and it just gives them some closure or a chance to heal from the traumas they went through when they were in Vietnam," she said.
Even if just one Vietnam veteran gets closure from seeing the wall, the effort was worth it, Cindy Raymond said.
The traveling wall was brought to the Berkshires 27 years ago when it was on display at Berkshire Community College.
Bringing the wall back to the area is one of the items on Legion Rider Tony Martini’s bucket list.
"It's about time that the veterans be recognized again, especially the ones that aren't here because if we don't blow their horn, nobody else will," Martini said.
The Vietnam War is an unfortunate part of American history that the American public has tried to atone for and make right, Legion Rider Neil Raymond said. The wall serves as a way to keep that history alive and prevent it from being forgotten.
The wall will arrive on Thursday, Sept. 14, escorted by police, motorcyclists and classic cars.
The procession starts at 8:25 a.m. The route will be from Holmes Road in Pittsfield to William Street in Dalton. It will continue down South Street to Main Street and conclude at the American Legion on North Street, where it will be installed.
There will be an opening ceremony on Friday, Sept. 15, at 9 a.m. The information booth for the wall will be open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. during its stay in the Berkshires.
The way veterans are treated has improved over the years but there is always room for improvement, Neil Raymond said.
Serving in the Vietnam War was not something that you would brag about, Martini said.
"As soon as I got off the plane, my military clothes went in the trash and my civilian clothes came on and nobody knew who I was until I got home," Martini said.
Although Neil and Cindy Raymond were Vietnam-era veterans, the war had ended when they went through training.
While in training, they were told that it would be wise not to wear their uniform in certain places otherwise they would be mistreated.
When veterans who served in the war in Afghanistan and Iraq came home, a bulk of the welcome committee that escorted them back were Vietnam veterans.
"It was very, very clear to me that, that generation was not going to allow present and future veterans to experience what they had," Neil Raymond said.
The government does not do enough to aid its veterans, Martini said. It is the veteran organizations that work to help other veterans.
"I remembered seeing on television, people coming off an airplane to an empty tarmac and even at a young age, I knew that's not right," Legion Rider Dennis Burke said.
"The Vietnam veterans are not letting that happen again and there was a lot of emotions back then with the war in general, and let alone with the people here, a lot of conflict," he said.
The community has banded together with donations and fundraising efforts to bring this initiative to fruition, receiving support from businesses like the Madison Cafe, fellow Legion posts, and from elected officials like Sheriff Thomas Bowler.
The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority's Route 4 bus will travel to the Dalton American Legion at rider request on Sept. 14, 15, 16, and 18.
The Route 4 bus starts at the Intermodal Center on Columbus Avenue in Pittsfield and travels on North Street. There is a bus stop in front of St. Joseph's church. Once on the bus, the rider would need to let the driver know that they want to get off the bus at the Dalton American Legion. To depart from the Dalton American Legion, the rider would need to call BRTA dispatch at 413-499-2782, Ext. 2, to let the bus driver know to stop
there.
For scheduling times of departure and arrival, visit www.berkshirerta.com.
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