Sylvia Shomshor
Daily Dunklin Democrat
To some it must seem like a reunion that can never be, "but at least it is something that can be seen and touched in remembrance," was the comment made by many people who viewed the Moving Wall, following the opening ceremony on Saturday, June 2.
The Moving Wall, a replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., arrived in Kennett on Friday and was assembled for those in the area to see. On Saturday, the Wall was opened to the public with more than 400 people in attendance for the ceremony.
As the Color Guard entered, people rose to pay tribute to those fallen and those still missing. Guest speaker Randy Morgan told of his days serving in Vietnam and recounted the loss of many of the men with whom he had served. As he spoke, people were transported to another place and time to help give some sense to just what each of the 58,219 names on the Wall represent. During Morgan's emotional speech, the audience was moved to tears, learning what the soldiers of Vietnam encountered and the battles they endured for a country, their lives and their livelihood in that distant land.
Following the singing of the National Anthem, offering of prayer, Morgan's speech and brief speeches by Bud Hunt, publisher of the Daily Dunklin Democrat and Kennett Mayor Charles Brown (a joint effort on the part of both men brought the Wall to Kennett) the crowd was directed to the Wall and told to spend as much time as they wanted or needed. "And visit as often as you like while we have the monument here in Kennett," Hunt said.
The Wall is available throughout the week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. with assistance, but is available for viewing 24 hours a day. The Wall will remain in Kennett until Friday, June 8, with a brief closing ceremony being presented at 5 p.m. that evening.
Friends and family of those on the Wall passed by the names and looked intently, in search of the one particular name that is familiar to them. Assistance is available in a tent at the edge of the Wall. In two large books, names are alphabetized and their place on the Wall is listed. Papers are available for people to make rubbings of the names. Several people took advantage of this opportunity. Lynn Crews was one such person who was looking for the name of his cousin, Hugh Don Scott. Crews and his sons Dennis and Kenton and his grandson Ryan located the name and made a rubbing to share with the rest of the family. "It's been a long time," Crews said. "He was killed by a land mine while on patrol. But it is nice to have these moving memorials to pay tribute to those who served and gave all."
Crews' sentiments were echoed by most all who viewed the Wall. Lives touched by the Wall include the very young to the very old. And this fact rang true in the words of one young grandchild after her grandmother had explained the significance of the Wall. The little girl said to her grandmother, "We should have brought some flowers."
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