Vietnam War Tribute to Go on Display

The Moving Wall, a traveling replica of the black granite Vietnam War memorial in Washington, D.C., will be on display in Ventura for a week starting Thursday.

The memorial, which is 253 feet long and reaches 6 feet in height, is engraved with the names of the more than 58,100 men and women who were killed or declared missing during the Vietnam War. In addition to the wall, the display will include flags from every state and the 22 nations with soldiers who fought in the war and a replica of the “eternal flame” to honor the dead, organizers said.

The Moving Wall was built in 1984 after San Jose veteran John Devitt visited the Washington memorial. He conceived of the Moving Wall as a way for large numbers of people to share the memories and healing he felt when he first saw the monument.

Devitt and a friend used $2,800 of their money, then collected $18,000 in donations to build the wall. The memorial is now overseen by the Memorial Fund of the Vietnam Combat Veterans.

The Moving Wall will be open to the public around the clock from 12:01 a.m. Thursday through May 7, at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park, 5400 Valentine Road in Ventura.

A private candlelight ceremony for friends and family of Vietnam veterans has been scheduled for 5:30 p.m. today. A ceremony attended by local and state dignitaries will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday.