Vietnam Memorial Wall Replica on Display

A portable replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial went on display at the Civic Arts Center, drawing individuals and school groups eager to learn about a faraway war that took place years ago.

Billed as “The Wall That Heals,” the 250-foot replica--half the size of the black granite memorial in Washington--has visited nearly 100 cities since it was dedicated on Veterans Day 1996. Featuring more than 58,200 names of those killed in Vietnam, the replica was put on display Thursday and is open around the clock through 6 p.m. Sunday.

Among the first visitors was Maria Prescott, who placed a flag and a page from a high school yearbook at the base of the replica under the name of her brother--Isaac E. Heath. He was killed east of Dow Tieng, shot in the head March 18, 1969.

“I just couldn’t imagine him going out and fighting in some jungle,” she said, adding that even now, more than 30 years later, the thoughts bring her to tears.

Teachers and parents who came to the replica said it was the best place for children to learn about the war--a far more tangible tool than a textbook and a classroom.

“This is a reality. Don’t take it lightly,” said Rich Hanson of Camarillo, who chaperoned a class of fifth-graders from Grace Brethren School in Simi Valley. “When you hear that people die, it’s an abstract thing. Here, each name is a real person.”

A candlelight closing ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday, and will feature a flyover by the 146th Airlift Wing of the Channel Islands Air National Guard.