Some, like Shannon McCracken, have a connection to it that runs deep. Others, like Alice Ashby, have no close link to it but nevertheless feel the tug of seeing it.
It’s the AVTT (American Veterans Traveling Tribute)
Traveling Vietnam Wall, and there’s still plenty of time to see it for yourself
this weekend at French Lick Resort. Up since Thursday morning and open for
viewing until 3 p.m. Sunday, The Wall is stationed in the front lawn at the
French Lick Casino as a poignant emblem on Veteran’s Day weekend. It is free to
the public and open round-the-clock, lit at night for 24-hour viewing.
Ashby and her husband, Dan, drove in from Evansville on Friday morning and turned it into a history lesson of sorts for their granddaughter Alex, who also made the trip since she was off from school for the Veteran’s Day holiday. They snapped a few pictures and spent time roaming up and down The Wall, which spans the length of a football field and contains the name of every American service man and woman killed while serving in Vietnam.
“(Dan’s) sister was up here yesterday and she said The Wall
was going to be here, so just a spur-of-the-moment thing,” said Alice, who
later pointed out words etched near the center of The Wall: “You read that down
there: ‘Freedom is not free,’” continued Alice, who didn’t know anyone killed
in the war. “Just to see all the names, how many people died … it’s something
else. And I don’t know a soul.”
Meanwhile, The Wall’s pit stop in French Lick is a
bittersweet presence for McCracken. Her brother, Mark Allstott, is one of the
58,000 names inscribed on The Wall, which is an 80 percent scale replica of the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial in our nation’s capital.
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Names with a plus sign indicate soldiers who were missing in
action and not recovered.
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Any time one of the touring Vietnam walls comes within a few
hundred miles of French Lick and West Baden, Shannon makes a point to go visit.
With The Wall so close to home this weekend, “it’s wonderful,” she said. “It
makes me feel like all these men that died really are appreciated; that people
still care.”
Four other natives of the Springs Valley were casualties in
Vietnam: Charles Beals, Richard Wolfington Jr., Arnold Abel and Charles
Kirkland. More than 40 years after the struggle in Vietnam ceased, the traveling
wall remains as an everlasting reminder of each individual sacrifice, from Earl
E. Barhnart Jr. (the first name on The Wall) to Roger D. Williams (the last one).
And that helps bring some peace for Charles Beals’ family.
“Just that he’s remembered. Because that was a long time ago,”
said his sister, Helen Lanham.
“To see over 58,000
names on a wall is impressive. And humbling at the same time,” added Ida Nail,
another sister who attended Thursday’s opening ceremony for The Wall.
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| The yellow and red flag represents the former Republic of Vietnam. |
Also, in case you’re wondering:
“The No. 1 question we get is ‘What does the plus sign (next
to some names) mean?’ And that’s soldiers who were missing in action, not
recovered,” Barron said. “Usually followed by ‘What is that red-and-yellow flag
on this end down here? It’s actually the Republic of Vietnam flag. And that obviously
doesn’t exist anymore. The only place you’ll see that is on one of our replicas
or in some of your bigger Vietnamese communities.”
Barron offered a couple more tips for viewing. For one, make
sure to visit the small white buildings on the north side of The Wall, where
there are rubbing sheets and a locator book that can tell you where to find a
specific name on The Wall.
And secondly, “If you just want to get an idea of the scope
of this thing, don’t go across the walkway in front of it first; step back in
front of it and just look at it and take it in. Sit on one of the benches and
just look at it,” Barron said. “Spend a few minutes with the soldier’s cross
that’s sitting out in front. Everything that is on that cross has been left by
a veteran in memory of his brothers: the peace symbol, there’s bracelets, there’s
beads, there’s pins. … If you have questions, come to the locator book or come find
me near the trailer and ask. And just take your time – don’t rush through it.”