Traveling Vietnam Wall comes to Westlake Village




JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers REMEMBERING—A motorcade of U.S. veterans and motorcycle club riders follow the truck carrying the ¾-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. as it arrives at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village yesterday. The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall will be open for public viewing tomorrow morning through 10 a.m. Mon., Sept. 7.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers REMEMBERING—A motorcade of U.S. veterans and motorcycle club riders follow the truck carrying the ¾-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. as it arrives at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village yesterday. The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall will be open for public viewing tomorrow morning through 10 a.m. Mon., Sept. 7.

The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall—a three-quarter-scale traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.—will be open for public viewing during Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4 through 7 at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park, 5600 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village.

Admission to the wall is free. It will be open to the public 24 hours a day.

The replica, created in 1990, is 8 feet high and 240 feet long. The black, reflective surface is inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 military personnel who died or are missing in Vietnam. Paper and pencils will be provided so visitors can make rubbings of names on the wall.

The following activities are planned in conjunction with the exhibition:

•A motorcade of veterans and riders from area motorcycle clubs escorted the wall on its journey to Westlake. A military Purple Heart ceremony took place Wednesday as the first two pieces of the wall were put together. Past winners of the Purple Heart were in attendance.

•The opening ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Fri., Sept. 4. A prelude concert by the Air Force Band will start at 9:30 a.m.

Speakers will include Daniel Smith III, USMC retired, chair of the board of directors, Memorial Honor Detail; Jim Biby, market director of the Dignity Memorial provider network; and keynote speaker Gill Gallo, director of Riverside National Cemetery. 

A Huey helicopter will drop rose petals and four skydivers. 

•A candlelight ceremony will be at 7:30 p.m. Sat., Sept. 5 with performances by the Rev. Donald Siler, pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church and lead singer of The Truth gospel group, and Pat Brown, gospel singer. 

John Hosier will give a keynote address, followed by lighting of the candles.  

•A concert will take place at 2 p.m. Sun., Sept. 6 with Bridge of Sighs, members of Join The Band and other groups.

•The closing ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Mon., Sept. 7 with a keynote address by Cynthia Nunez, director of the Los Angeles National Cemetery. Mark Taylor will give a musical performance. 

After the service, the replica wall will be taken down. 

Volunteers are needed to read the names on the wall overnight. To volunteer, call Ann at (818) 292-8430. 

After Westlake Village, the monument will be on display in Phoenix. To date, the replica has traveled to more than 200 cities across the country.

For more information, call (818) 889-0902 or visit www.DignityMemorial.com.

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