On Sunday, Mar 30th, the Marine Corps League of Franklin provided security at one of the traveling mini Vietnam Memorial Walls that came to Toccoa, GA. The temperature was in the mid-forties and the wind cut to the bone. It was a cold morning as we paced back and forth to stay warm from 8 AM to 2 PM. See Photos of Marines Guarding Wall

As we worked our way through the chilly morning the wall organizers were expecting to exceed 7000 visitors for the weekend it was in town. I believe they past 7000 by the time we left.

There are a few different Mini Memorials that travel across the country. This particular one is based out of Cocoa, FL. It is 3/5 the size of the Washington, D.C. Vietnam Veterans Memorial and was built in 2006. Franklin had the Traveling Memorial Wall in the late 90s which is ½ the size of the D.C. original.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial located in Washington, D.C., that honors members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War and who died in service or are still unaccounted for. On the original and the replicas are 58,256 names. Of these names of Americans who bravely gave their lives serving our country and keeping us free eight were women. Read more on the Wall (Wiki)

The Moving Wall
Vietnam veteran John Devitt of Stockton, California, attended the 1982 dedication ceremonies of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Recognizing what he saw as the healing nature of the Wall, he vowed to make a transportable version of the Wall, a “Traveling Wall” so those who were not able to travel to Washington, D.C. would be able to see and touch the names of friends or loved ones in their own home town. Read more on Moving Wall (Wiki)