'Wall That Heals' visits city

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Above: Oceanport's Jim Palumbo studies the names inscribed on "The Wall That Heals," a traveling replica of the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The memorial was displayed along the Long Branch beachfront July 26 - 30. Right: An American flag and a bouquet of flowers were left by a visitor to "The Wall."

LONG BRANCH - The city was the host town for the traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial, "The Wall That Heals," last week.

The replica wall arrived in the city July 25 and was displayed at the Great Lawn on the oceanfront and open to the public last weekend.

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.

The traveling wall, also known as the moving wall, measures 245 feet long with some 58,300 names engraved on it.

A 45-foot truck that transports the wall also carries with it a museum that displays significant items that have been left by visitors from around the world at the site of the wall.

This year, the wall celebrates its 25th anniversary touring the world, including countries such as Scotland, Canada and Ireland, according to coordinator Michael Winnick.

Since its dedication, the wall has visited 250 cities and towns from South Carolina to Oklahoma, Washington, Texas, Minnesota, New York and several states in between.

For more information on the traveling wall, visit vvmf@vvmf.org.

- Christine Varno