PHOTO GALLERY: Vietnam Moving Wall Celebrated During Opening Ceremony

Opening ceremonies for the Vietnam Moving Wall at the Tom E. Hartung paid a moving tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Vietnam War. The wall which is 4 feet tall and 252 feet long, arrived on It's a smaller, portable version of the permanent structure in Washington D.C.

Volunteers were on hand to help visitors find the names of loved ones in the 58,000 names etched into the wall.

The ceremony included many speakers, the Great Lakes Naval Band played and wreaths were laid to honor those lost. Will County Sheriff Paul Kaupas was one of many community leaders to address the large crowd. He shared his experience as a Vietnam combat veteran who served for three years of active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps.

"I have the names of six men that I served with on that wall," Kaupas said. "I will never forgot them."

Commander Lou Vargas shared his experience of returning home after his time in Vietnam. He was spat upon as he exited the plane at the airport. He tearfully spoke of the many men who did not return with him as well as those who return to such a painful, unwelcoming homecoming.

One of those men who died in Vietnam was a neighbor, William Brencich. Brencich's mother, Francis, still lives in the home and is close to the Vargas family.

"There is not one day that I don't think of him and miss him," Francis Brencich said. Vargas, his wife Bernice and Francis Brencich laid a wreath at the wall honoring those who did not return.

 The wall will be available until the closing ceremony at 7 p.m. on Memorial Day. A fly over previously scheduled for the opening ceremonies is tenatively rescheduled for Memorial Day.