Vietnam Wall replica comes to Apalachicola

Vietnam Wall replica comes to Apalachicola
By Josh Bennett • DEMOCRAT WRITER • April 29, 2009


A 300-person motorcade Tuesday escorted the traveling replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., into Veterans Memorial Plaza in Apalachicola.

The display is part of a four-day event Thursday through Sunday in memory of the 58,000 soldiers who never returned from the Vietnam War.

The plaza, which is home to the recently built "Three-Soldier Statue South" war memorial, will host a wide array of public events, including a memorial service on Saturday. Volunteers will read the names of all 58,000 deceased or missing soldiers.

"This unique event is the first of its kind ever," said Tom Brocato, a volunteer coordinator and Vietnam veteran. "No where outside of Washington, D.C., have these two memorials been in the same location."

More than 500 volunteers will lend a hand to make these four days a reality.

"The most important part of this event is to honor our veterans and educate the public about the many issues that they faced when coming back from Vietnam," said Dan Scheck, program director of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, an organization that focuses on Vietnam War veteran awareness. Soldiers back then weren't given the respect and honor that these soldiers get today."
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Vietnam Wall replica comes to Apalachicola