VIDEO: The Vietnam Traveling Wall Visits Fayetteville

“One of the names I came to look up on the wall was a fellow named Greg E. Lavery. He was 19 years old and in the marines and killed on a patrol from a sniper,” says Vietnam Veteran Michael J. Barry.

A wall that extends far beyond its physical size, it carries with it names of loved ones and endless memories.

Barry is an Army vet and served at Fort Bragg in 1968. Even though he knew dozens of people killed during war, he still shares some good experiences.

Barry says, “there were just very good memories. I played on the post championship football team and besides that we had a lot of fun down here. We did a lot of traveling and training and it was just a great opportunity to come down here and see the new facility.”

The Vietnam Moving Wall sits on the grounds at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville and it’s a half-size replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The wall has been touring the country for more than twenty years. It stands six feet tall at the center and covers almost 300 feet from end to end.

The traveling wall holds over 55 thousand names with the bulk of the names in the middle of the wall representing just how many lives of men and women were lost.

The wall traveled from its last stop in Kingman, Arizona and now resides in Fayetteville, NC from Nov.6-14 just in time for Veteran’s Day.

Join Danielle Anzelone as she reports for Patch from the Heroes Homecoming.