Columbia plans to give a patriotic welcome to a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as it rolls into town.
Organizers want to line the streets with people waving flags as “The Wall That Heals” arrives for its stay from Nov. 14 to Nov. 17 at Bluff Street Park.
Columbia will be the first Mississippi city to host this wall, which is a half-scale replica of the one in Washington bearing the names of all the American soldiers who died in the Vietnam War (a different traveling wall has been to other places in the state).
“What we’re trying to do is heal the veterans. It is also healing to those of us who did not fight because we were torn up. You didn’t know which way to turn about this. You didn’t understand the politics of it,” said Carlton Thornhill, one of the organizers of the wall’s visit. “So it’s not just a memorial; it is medicine that our area is receiving.”
The wall will be staged at the riverside park near downtown Columbia beginning that Thursday in November and continuing through that Sunday. The public is encouraged to come for tours, and the wall will remain open to visitors 24 hours a day. The Marion County Recreational Railroad plans to give rides from the Columbia Expo Center to Bluff Street Park.
The seventh annual Veterans Picnic at the Columbia Water Park will also be that same weekend. It will again include the Vietnam War museum “Through the Eyes” along with military displays, a car show and other events. It’s again being organized by Mark Retcho of Columbia with proceeds benefitting the Wounded Minutemen of Mississippi.
The wall’s visit is being planned by a separate group that includes Thornhill and Tammy Riley, who presented details about their plans to the Columbia Rotary Club last week.
Thornhill said each day will have a different theme. One is for youth, which will bring students from schools in Marion County to learn about the Vietnam War. There will be daily ceremonies, including a flag raising in the morning, wreath placing at noon and sunset service at 5:30, culminating with a candlelight service Saturday night, Thornhill said.
Riley said they are raising money to buy the flags and meet other costs.
She is heading up selling sponsorships to businesses and T-shirts to the public. They’ve raised $10,000 to get the wall and have another estimated $5,000 in expenses, Riley said. Anything that is left over will go to the Wounded Warrior Project of Mississippi, she said.
Thornhill said they want to make some permanent improvements to Bluff Street Park, including an American flag dedicated to Vietnam veterans.
The wall will be guarded 24/7, Riley said, and they’re getting volunteers to sign up for three-hour shifts to do that. A group of veterans does it overnight, she said, and they’re going to take food to them.
