The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., sprung up Wednesday on the soccer field of Glacier High School, where it will stand through the weekend.
The memorial will be open for public viewing, day and night, until Sunday afternoon.
Glacier Park Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2522 is the proud host of the movable monument, said Les Kodlick, a member of the committee that managed and planned the event.
“Vietnam is a part of American history that we just can’t forget,” Kodlick said.
The wall comes to the valley on behalf of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 1980 to build the national memorial in Washington. The nonprofit works to honor Vietnam veterans and educate communities on the impact of the Vietnam War.
“There are [about 58,000] names on the wall. Almost 300 of those are Montanans,” Kodlick said.
Kodlick requested, through the memorial fund, for the wall to come to Kalispell both last year and this year. Planning for this year’s successful request has been going on for around six months, he said. Many organizations, sponsors and businesses have stepped up to assist the committee as well, according to Kodlick, including Glacier High School, local fire departments and members of area VFW posts.
“The response has been amazing,” he said.
Wednesday’s work consisted of volunteers assembling the frame, carrying the panels and arranging educational displays, all under a massive American flag held aloft by an aerial lift.
Kodlick’s father, who now lives in Arizona, was an Air Force pilot in the Vietnam War. It wasn’t until Kodlick returned from a tour in Afghanistan with the Air Force that his father discussed his time in Vietnam — decades after the war. Allowing veterans to reflect, share experiences and heal is one of many reasons that the wall is important.
“Fast forward to today, it’s important that veterans share their story and that younger generations hear about this part of history,” Kodlick said.
Kalispell is one of 32 cities to host the exhibit this year. Prior to its arrival in the valley the wall was showcased in Missouri. They used to travel with a half scale version of the wall until 2017, according to Elaine Koontz, a site manager for The Wall That Heals. Kalispell hosted the wall that year as well.
“It’s very important for our Vietnam veterans to get healing,” Koontz said. “Especially since they never got a welcome home.”
The exhibit also includes a 53-foot trailer that transforms into a mobile education center; a mini museum, if you will. The exterior features a timeline of both the war and the history of the wall as well as information about the memorial in Washington.
Like the original memorial, the wall is set up in a chevron shape. As is commonly done in Washington, visitors can find the name of a loved one and use paper and charcoal to make a rubbing on the traveling wall’s synthetic granite surface. It is 375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at its tallest point, according to the memorial fund.
The Mountain Climber will provide rides between the wall and the Columbia Falls Senior Center as well as the VFW posts in Kalispell and Whitefish. A schedule is available on the public transit agency’s Facebook page.
Tear down will begin Sunday at 2 p.m. Kodlick hopes to get 20,000 people to view the exhibit before then.
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