Massive crowd attends Wall That Heals opening ceremony
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE - The organizers of The Wall That Heals visit, which began Thursday with an opening ceremony, had hoped to see a strong turnout to welcome the display to the Belmont County Fairgrounds.
Those wishes were granted.
Hundreds of residents flocked fairgrounds to create a standing-room-only audience for the wall’s opening ceremony. The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., is a way to say thank you to Vietnam War veterans who didn’t get the welcome home they deserved, said Jackee Pugh, the Belmont County Tourism Council executive director who co-chaired the committee and served as Thursday’s emcee.
"What an amazing feeling seeing the crowd that we had here, and so many veterans that came out and community supporters to really rally behind the fact that we have the privilege of hosting the Wall That Heals here in Belmont County," Pugh said. "It was an honor to emcee the event and get to look out and see across the audience and how moved people were. There were so many that I saw brought to tears, and you could tell it meant more than just your normal opening ceremony and event. It was truly my honor to be a part of it."
She said that bringing the display to the fairgrounds has been a large undertaking that took over two years of planning.
"We’ve been planning and working on this for over two years now, and now that it's installed and seeing it in its entirety is just an overwhelming experience," Pugh said. "I am so proud that the tourism office and I got to play a very small role in making it happen because it is just such a wonderful thing for our whole area."
Thursday's ceremony guest speakers in Belmont County Commissioner J.P. Dutton, Ohio State Representative Ty Moore, R-Caldwell, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, and U.S. Army 199th Light Infantry Brigade Vietnam veteran Larry Barnes.
In addition to being Ohio's attorney general, Wilson is also an Ohio National Guard veteran. He said that Thursday's event was the epitome of small town America rallying around a group of heroes and recognizing the service and sacrifice.
"They didn’t get treated the way they should have been 50 years ago, and it’s just such an honor to see the residents of this community who stood up and came today, as well as those who will come through and see the wall," Wilson said. "What an honor it is to be here with a generation of heroes, they won’t call themselves heroes, but a generation of heroes who, when their country needed them, they stood up and did their duty. They put the needs of our nation ahead of their own well-being, and they served the way our country and our community do serve."
Barnes served in Vietnam with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade from 1968 to 1969. He was 19 years old when he entered the army, and was sent to Vietnam in October 1968.
"I was fortunate enough to come home, a lot of others weren’t. There are names on this wall of men I went to school with, men I knew growing up, and men I served alongside. To me, they aren’t just names etched onto a memorial. They were friends, they were young men with families, dreams, and lives waiting for them back home," Barnes said.
He added that when the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in 1982 he and his wife Cheryl Barnes made the trip to Washington D.C.
"There really aren’t words to explain what that felt like. You can carry someone’s memory with you for years, but when you stand before that wall, see their name, and reach out and touch it, it becomes something different. It stays with you," Barnes said. "That’s one of the reasons bringing the Wall That Heals to Belmont County means so much to me.
“At American Legion Post 159, our motto is ‘Veterans Serving Veterans,'” Barnes added, “and helping to bring this wall here so veterans throughout our community can experience it, especially those who may never have had the opportunity to travel to Washington."
Barnes said bringing The Wall That Heals to Belmont County is exactly what the Legion's motto represents, and he hopes that the attendees remember those veterans who did make it home as well.
"For many Vietnam veterans, coming home wasn’t what it should have been. There weren’t always celebrations. There wasn’t always a thank you or a handshake. And far too many, there weren’t two simple words that should have been waiting for every American who served our country, welcome home," Barnes said. "We can’t change what happened more than 50 years ago, but we can make sure those words are heard today. So, to my fellow Vietnam veterans here today, and to every Vietnam veteran who visits this wall while it is here in Belmont County, we remember those who didn’t make it. We honor the names on the wall, and we stand together with those who died."
Dutton added that, as a commissioner, he could not be more proud of the work of The Wall That Heals committee and is honored that the wall was able to come to the county. He said that it is well documented that Belmont County, Eastern Ohio, and the entire Upper Ohio Valley area has been surrounded by heroes for generations.
"I think one of the things that make our community so special, one of the many is the fact that there is a true, genuine appreciation and understanding that we have been blessed by those men and women that surround us each day that in some cases gave the ultimate sacrifice for the love of both countries, one community," Dutton said.
Moore added that The Wall That Heals was in Noble County when he was a commissioner there. While the wall was there, he volunteered to work an overnight shift. He recalled a husband and wife approaching him during his shift. He said that they were asking for a specific name on the wall. After spotting the name the husband spoke to Moore for a significant amount of time about his friend whose name was on the wall.
After their conversation, Moore said that the wife came back to him and said that in all of the years that the couple has been married she has never seen her husband open up and be so emotional to somebody.
He said That the Wall That Heals provides people an opportunity to grieve and heal.
The Wall That Heals is available for viewing continuously for 24 hours a day until Sunday’s 1:45 p.m. closing ceremony.