By Rebecca Deelstra
SIOUX FALLS (KELO AM) - 2015 will mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. The Viet Nam Vets / Legacy Vets Motorcycle Club and the Sioux Falls Vets council will host the event, “40 Years of Honoring and Healing”, in Sioux Falls, SD August 5-9, 2015.
The event will include a police escort to the wall to site traveling north on Minnesota Ave, from the VFW, to the event site, Sanford Pentagon Sports Complex, on Aug 5th. The event is open to the public, and will also include opening and closing ceremonies.
The replica wall is 80 percent scale version of the Viet Nam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. Across its 360-foot length the Wall contains every single name etched on the original. At its apex the memorial is an impressive eight feet tall. The Traveling Wall was completed in early 1998 and began traveling that year, and over 58,000 fallen soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are listed on the wall. This event is open to the public.
Dave Hodgson, event organizer explains, “This gives an opportunity for those who sacrificed so much the chance to remember their fallen brothers and sisters, as well as the public an opportunity to honor and thank our heroes who served in Vietnam.”.