Hundreds Ride to Escort Vietnam Memorial Wall in Michigan

Motorcyclists escort Vietnam Memorial Wall replica to honor veterans
Up North Live
by NEWSROOM
June 19th 2017

"We have a lot of things to overcome, but to me, this is one sign of brotherhood camaraderie coming together to support."
Richard Quinlan

MANISTEE COUNTY, Mich. (WPBN/WGTU)-- Hundreds of motorcyclists rode in honor of our Vietnam veterans on Friday. It was the eighth annual Vietnam War Memorial Escort.

Richard Quinlan is a Vietnam war veteran. He says when he served, he was just doing what needed to be done. "Somebody has to stand up for what America believes in, and at that time, we were the ones that had to stand up," said Quinlan. 

Fred Nelson, also a Vietnam war veteran, now works with the group Rolling Thunder, an organization dedicated to helping veterans with events such as the wall escort.
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Las Vegas Patriot Fest Shows "Magnitude of lives lost" in Vietnam

Replicated monument draws Vietnam vets to Patriot Fest in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Review-Journal
By Katelyn Newber
May 20, 2017

“It’s a powerful thing. When you see how small the names are and how big it is, you see the magnitude of how many people lost their lives.” Branan Allison

A replica of Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall hosted by American Veterans Traveling Tribute at Craig Ranch Park on Friday May 19, 2017 in North Las Vegas.
Erik Verduzco Las Vegas Review Journal

As his motorized wheelchair rolled past 58,307 names on the replica Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Dennis Daniels was consumed with grief. He reminded his wife, Aleta, to use her walker as she traced three familiar names on the wall.

But Dennis was afraid to look.

“It just brings back instant memories,” the 70-year-old said. “I don’t want to look and see if they’re up there.”

The Danielses were attending the third annual American Patriot Fest, underway at Craig Ranch Regional Park in North Las Vegas, on Saturday during Armed Forces Day.

This was the first year the American Veterans Travel Tribute organization brought the replica, sized down 80 percent from the fixture in Washington, D.C., said Branan Allison, the president of Source 1 Events, which organized the festival. The memorial will be open to the public until 3 p.m. Sunday.

Allison said he hopes to bring the memorial to the festival each year.
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Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall at Calverton National Cemetery

Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall Tells Stories
The replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall will be onview at Calverton National Cemetery this Wednesday through Sunday.
By Lisa Finn
June 18, 2012

A 15-year-old boy, who lied about his age to be able to fight in the Vietnam War.

Twelve female nurses. Eight clergymen. And over 58,000 others.

Although they may never have met, each shares a tragic and heroic destiny forged by war: Each of the 58,257 names inscribed on the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, that will be on view at Calverton National Cemetery from Wednesday through Friday, is forever memorialized.

"Behind every name, there is a story," said Charles Spencer, chairman of the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall.

And Spencer, a funeral director who has been involved with the project since 1995, has made it his personal mission to ensure that no one's story is forgotten.

Spencer said he was invited to bring the memorial to Calverton National Cemetery because it is the largest cemetery for veterans in the United States, with over a quarter of a million buried within its grassy knolls. "They take care of all the veterans, after they pass away for eternity. What better place to honor our veterans?" he asked.
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Bringing Home The Wall in St. Augustine FL

St. Augustine FL Elks welcomed members of Rolling Thunder and Patriot Guard Riders while they escorted Bringing Home The Wall.

There were about 300 bikes.



In 2008 I took pictures as one of their Walls was being put together. It takes a lot of work to put all the pieces together and with each panel, prayers and memories flooded into their minds.

Bringing Home the Wall is the creation of Dee Twig. This down sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. was built out of their care for mankind and for the people who served, died and are missing in the Vietnam War. They operate and move the traveling wall memorial at their own expense and through donations that are left by the people that visit it.

It should be noted that because of the size of this wall, it enables them to move it to smaller facilities than the larger scale wall. This allows visits to places like homes for the elderly, VA Hospitals, churches and other buildings where people that would not otherwise be able to ever see The Wall can.

Much like The Virtual Wall® online, a computer setup so that your loved one or friend can be easily located on the tribute. The database holds all of the names that are on the actual wall and will pinpoint which panel display the name you are looking for can be found on Bringing Home The Wall. We can be contacted by phone at 407-433-0015 for information on displaying the wall in your community or email him below for further information.

Traveling Vietnam Wall plus 1000 flags in Oregon

Traveling Vietnam Wall & 1000 Flag Memorials Will Visit Newport
Salem-News.com

These Memorials are actually sanctuaries.


A real tribute to those who have served in the military will visit the Oregon coast this May.

(SALEM, Ore.) - A place for Hope and Healing for many Veterans, Families and Friends. The 1000 Flags will be on display by 1:00 p.m. Monday, April 26th in Newport Oregon, at the Newport Facilities in South Beach.

Organizers say there will also be a special Flag Presentation at 5:30 p.m. and an Honorable Service Medal presentation at 6:00 p.m. Families with flags being dedicated to a loved one will be escorted by a military member from the USANG and a person from the USCG, Yaquina Bay Station.

Tuesday April 27th there will also be another special Flag presentation at 5:30pm and another scheduled Honorable Service medal Presentation. Families with flags dedicated to a loved one will be escorted by a person from the USANG and a person from the USCG, Yaquina Bay Station.
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http://www.salem-news.com/articles/march292010/newport-veterans.php

Traveling Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall Comes to Seattle

Traveling Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall Comes to Seattle

Community Invited to Pay Respects to America's War Veterans


SEATTLE, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dignity Memorial(R) Vietnam Wall, a three-quarter-scale traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be open for public viewing August 14-16, 2009 at Acacia Memorial Park, 14951 Bothell Way NE in Seattle.


Free and open to the public 24 hours a day from Friday, August 14 through Sunday, August 16, the replica is eight feet high and 240 feet long. Its black, reflective surface is inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 servicemen and women who died or are missing in Vietnam. Paper and pencils will be provided so visitors can make rubbings of names etched on the wall.


The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall is dedicated to all Americans who served in Vietnam and honors all veterans of the U.S. military. The three-day exhibition is sponsored by Vietnam Veterans Association Posts 102 and 423 and local Dignity Memorial funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers.


"The monument was created as a service to those who might never travel to the nation's capital to experience the Vietnam Veterans Memorial firsthand," said Donna Wagner, director of Dignity Memorial providers in Seattle. "Our replica offers visitors a chance for healing and reflections, and we are very pleased to be able to share it with the community," she said.
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Traveling Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall Comes to Seattle

1,200 motorcycles roar into Wickham Park

Tim Shortt, FLORIDA TODAY

Carol Derk of Titusville looks through the panels in search of her then-husband, David Osborne, a Marine killed in 1969. "I was pregnant with our only child when it happened," she said. The arrival of the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall at Wickham Park in Melbourne precedes the annual veterans reunion, which begins Thursday.

Vietnam Traveling Wall escorted to park
Veterans reunion begins Thursday
BY KIMBERLY C. MOORE • FLORIDA TODAY • April 21, 2008


MELBOURNE -- As they have each year for two decades, volunteers Sunday assembled a Vietnam memorial in just a few hours, displaying a replica of the famous wall in Washington, D.C.

There are 58,256 names on the memorial, men and women who served and died in Southeast Asia between 1956 and 1975.

Gary Seibert, 59, sought out the name of a buddy.

"William R. Kersey Jr.," said Seibert, touching the name of the pilot with whom he served. Kersey died when his helicopter crashed Sept. 1, 1970, in Long Khan, South Vietnam. He is listed on Panel 7, Row 31.

"He got killed after I left," said Seibert, who lives on Merritt Island. "He was just a smiley guy -- upbeat, fun, positive, always ready to go. Full of life . . . It was a shame he had to go."

Ken Baker, treasurer of the Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard, was among about 1,200 motorcycle riders who Sunday morning escorted the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall from Brevard Community College's Cocoa campus to Wickham Park. The memorial's arrival precedes the annual veterans reunion, which begins Thursday.

Baker, who was second in line, said he was riding to remember Brevard resident Maj. Morgan Donahue, who disappeared when his plane was shot down over Laos on Dec. 13, 1968.

"His parents have passed away," Baker said. "But we remember him."

Some people came Sunday to support soldiers who may have been ignored when they returned home from the unpopular war. And they want their family members to be treated better.
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I drove there yesterday to meet my husband who was riding as one of the escorts. The problem was, I didn't expect so many bikes. I was stuck behind the police waiting for all the bikes to pull in. It took over half an hour. I was too far away to get it on film. I have to tell you that I was very moved and glad I drove that far and not even get to see my husband. We'll head back there this weekend and I'll have plenty of pictures to put up.