WAILUKU, Hawaii — Presented by the County of Maui and Maui County Veterans Council, the traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial “The Wall That Heals” opened to the public on Feb. 9 and is currently open 24/7 through Feb. 13 at the War Memorial Stadium in Wailuku. The replica, together with a mobile education center, was previously in Hilo.

What You Need To Know

  • Just as with the life-size memorial, the traveling exhibit honors and bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War, offering many a space for healing

  • Visitors can pay their respects at any time through Feb. 13 and are encouraged to interact with onsite volunteers to learn more about “The Wall” and its significance

“The Wall That Heals” is a 3/4-scale replica of the actual memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., that was dedicated on Veterans Day in 1982. Just as with the life-size memorial, the traveling exhibit honors and bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War, offering many a space for healing.

Visitors can pay their respects at any time through Feb. 13 and are encouraged to interact with onsite volunteers to learn more about “The Wall” and its significance. Visitors can also do “name rubbings” of individual service member’s names.

Maui County Department of Parks and Recreation urges regular users of the stadium parking lot area to be mindful of extra pedestrian and vehicle traffic during the exhibit. The stadium will be closed for all athletic activities, including walking, jogging and workouts through Feb. 13.

“The presence of ‘The Wall That Heals’ serves as a powerful memorial for the members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served and died in the Vietnam War, and it is an honor for the County of Maui to host this traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial here in our community,” said Mayor Richard Bissen in a release.

Standing 7.5 feet high at its highest point and measuring 375 feet in length, “The Wall” is erected in a chevron shape like the original memorial. According to a release, the names are listed in order of date of casualty and alphabetically on each day. The list begins at the center on the East Wall (right side), making its way to the end and picking up at the far end of the West Wall (left side), then working its way back to the center. As a result, the first and last casualties are next to one another at the apex of the memorial.

The mobile education Center will display “Hometown Heroes,” Vietnam veterans whose names are on “The Wall” and who listed the State of Hawaii as their home of record. On the “Hometown Heroes” webpage, click on the name of a veteran to view a profile and photo.

Since debuting in 1996, the exhibit has been to more than 700 communities across the U.S. in addition to Ireland and Canada. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the nonprofit organization that founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington and oversees “The Wall That Heals.”

“We look forward to providing a healing experience for local veterans and their families and an educational experience for all visitors,” said VVMF President and CEO Jim Knotts in a news release announcing the dates of “The Wall” in Hawaii.

Following Maui, “The Wall That Heals” will travel back to the continental U.S. with displays throughout California.

 

Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.