Replica of Vietnam Veterans Memorial rolling into town

By Ashley Livingston

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008 | midnight

During the weekend preceding Veterans Day, a trip to Washington D.C. won't be necessary to pay homage to those who died while serving their country in the Vietnam War.

The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, a 240-foot traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the nation's capital, will visit Davis Funeral Home & Memorial Park, 6200 S. Eastern Ave., Nov. 6-9.

The wall was created in 1990 by Dignity Memorial, a national network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers. It has since crisscrossed the country visiting numerous destinations every year.

On its way to Las Vegas, the meaningful piece of history will be ushered across Hoover Dam at 10 a.m. Tuesday in a patriotically-themed 18-wheeler escorted by hundreds of classic cars and motorcycles.

Davis Funeral Home General Manager Todd Noecker said the replica will open at 9 a.m. Nov. 6 and will remain open 24 hours a day until the close of the exhibition at midnight Nov. 9.

Volunteers from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3848, the cosponsor of the event, and from the funeral home and its affiliated locations will be on site at all times to assist visitors in searching through the more than 58,000 names engraved on the replica.

Ken Veith, who served in the U.S. Army during Vietnam and commands Post 3848, said he has a couple of remembered compatriots he'll look for once the wall arrives.

"I have a book with all of the names and I've got some people who I served with who are in the book and on the wall, but I've never experienced going to the wall," he said.

"This is going to hopefully be a healing process for a lot of the veterans," he said.

Veterans however, aren't the only group of people who stand to gain from the experience.

Noecker said the first day of the exhibit, Nov. 6, has been deemed "Education day" and that he will welcome school field trip groups during the day and is encouraging children and their families to visit the replica after the school dismissal bell rings.

In addition to the wall, an educational set of exhibits and memorabilia will be set up for viewing throughout the event.

There will be photos and movies that will depict the Vietnam War in a manner that is not harsh and is appropriate for children, Noecker said.

Opening ceremonies will begin at 7 p.m. Nov. 7, and will include speeches by local VFW members and dignitaries and an explanation and dedication of the wall.

At the closing of the event, which begins at 7 p.m. Nov. 9, the winner of a raffle for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle will be announced.

The raffle tickets will be sold during the exhibition to offset the cost of the replica's visit. Noecker declined to specify what that cost is.

A reading of the names of all of the Nevada veterans who lost their lives in the Vietnam War will take place at an undecided time, during either the opening or closing ceremonies, Noecker said.

The replica has given people who might never be able to visit the nation's capital a chance to experience the power of the wall, he said.

Ashley Livingston can be reached at 990-8925 or [email protected].