Vietnam Moving Wall Comes to New Lenox Today

In the "Home of Proud Americans," tributes to veterans are hardly few and far between. There's the Veterans Memorial on the Village Commons, at plaque of veterans' names in Village Hall, the Loyalty Day Parade and an entire weekend called Proud American Days.

But this Memorial Day weekend, a truly moving experience is coming to New Lenox to honor those who have served in the military.

The Vietnam Moving Wall, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is on display at the American Legion post in New Lenox starting today through Monday. The memorial honors the more than 58,000 Americans killed or missing in Vietnam. The names of the casualties are listed by date they were killed or went missing.

"It's really something to witness," Trustee David Butterfield said at a Village Board meeting a couple weeks ago. "It's a somber time."

The wall will arrive at New Lenox American Legion Post 1977, 14414 Ford Drive in New Lenox, on May 26 at 9:30 a.m. and will be open for viewing at noon. An opening ceremony will take place on May 27 at 4 p.m. with a prayer vigil at 7 p.m. The closing ceremony will occur at 7 p.m. Monday.

The opening ceremony will feature speeches by veterans, musical performances and a fly-over by a World War II TBM Avenger. For a full list of events, see the PDF attached to this article.