Wall that Heals to come to Long Branch Traveling replica of Vietnam Memorial due in county in July BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer A replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be on display in Long Branch in July. It is called "The Wall that Heals" and for most, that is what it accomplishes through its travels around the nation. In July, one of those stops will be Long Branch, which will be the host city for the traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, a replica of the memorial in the nation's capitol, according to the city's veterans coordinator. "It is the 25th anniversary of the wall this year," said Michael Winnick, Long Branch veterans coordinator, in an interview last week, "So I thought it would be a good time to request the wall in Long Branch. "I was hoping for July 4," he said, "But I knew that was unlikely." The traveling memorial, known as The Traveling Wall or the Moving Wall, is scheduled to arrive in Long Branch July 25 and plans call for the wall to be displayed at the great lawn on the oceanfront. It will be open to the public July 26-29, according to Winnick. The wall is a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., and, like the original, has the names of members of the armed forces who served in the Vietnam War engraved on it. Winnick said that the same names appear on the traveling wall that appear on the wall in Washington. The traveling wall measures 245 feet long with some 58,300 names engraved on it. "For the veteran community, this is a way to help unite them," Winnick said. "But it is a good way to bring everyone together," he said, adding, "Here is the opportunity to get to the wall in Washington without going to Washington." Winnick said it is a great honor to have the wall in your own town. "This wall has traveled to Scotland, Canada, Ireland and all the states," he said. "It has been in southern New Jersey before, but never here." As a Vietnam vet himself, Winnick said the wall's name, "The Healing Wall" has true meaning for him. "When the wall in Washington was being constructed," he said, "I adamantly opposed it. "See, when you got back from the [Vietnam] war, it was as if we were forced to hide what happened and how we felt," he explained. "But then, I realized it was a way to let those feelings out," he continued. "The truth is, it has been a healing mechanism." Although Winnick has not heard much feedback about the wall coming to Long Branch from the community, he said he hopes that will change once the word gets out. Winnick is holding a meeting tonight at 6 p.m. in city hall to enlist volunteers to assist while the wall is in Long Branch. Letters have been sent to veterans' service organizations throughout the state and Winnick said anyone in the community can help out. "We need to set up committees at the meeting," he said. "We need people to help assemble the wall when it arrives. "We need a public relations committee, security and other assistance," he said. It requires approximately 15 people to assemble the wall, Winnick said, adding that volunteers will also be needed to assist people in locating names and doing rubbings of the names. As far as security at the wall goes, Winnick said he has asked the city's police department to help out. The cost to host the wall is $5,000, which has been paid by a Community Development Block grant, according to Winnick, who said there will be no cost to the city. "We are getting contributions to cover traveling expenses," he said. "We will put the drivers [of the truck that carries the wall] up in hotels while they are here." One thing the traveling wall has that the wall in Washington does not, is a traveling museum, Winnick said. The 45-foot truck that carries the wall converts into a museum that displays significant items that have been left by visitors around the world at the site of the wall. "You get a chance to see people's medals and things you would never see anywhere else," Winnick said.