Panhandle PBS will honor those who served in the Vietnam War by hosting a visit from The Wall That Heals.
As part of the station’s ongoing Crossing the Divide: The Texas Panhandle Vietnam War Project surrounding the new Ken Burns and Lynn Novick film The Vietnam War, The Wall will be installed late Wednesday, Dec. 6, at John Stiff Memorial Park, Bell Street and 45th Avenue in Amarillo near the Gazebo, and will be deinstalled and depart Sunday afternoon, Dec. 10.
The Wall is a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., accompanied by a mobile education center. It will be open to the public to visit 24 hours a day from 7 p.m. Dec. 6 to 2 p.m. Dec. 10 to honor U.S. armed forces service members who fought in the Vietnam War, the more than 58,000 service men and women who lost their lives in Vietnam/Southeast Asia, and those service members who were unaccounted for during the War.
A welcome ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7 with an AC Music Department vocal ensemble group performing the National Anthem. A closing ceremony is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10. Both events are open to the public. Area organizations are welcome to bring wreaths for placement near the Wall on Friday, Dec. 8 between 3 to 5 p.m.
School/youth tours are available on Dec. 7 and 8, particularly for middle, high school, and college students. Students will learn about the wall’s design, history and the Vietnam War itself. Contact Cullen Lutz at 806-371-5479 or cullen.lutz@actx.edu to schedule school tours.
Supporters of The Wall that Heals’ Amarillo visit are The Mary E. Bivins Foundation, WETA – Washington D.C., CNS Pantex, Happy State Bank, Xcel Energy, and Mary Emeny. The City of Amarillo is generously serving as site host for The Wall that Heals. Additional support is provided by Amarillo College, UniFirst, Graymac, Inc., Rabern Rentals, A-1 Rocket, Raising Cane’s, Chick Fil-A on Georgia St., Pepsi, Rib Crib, Teddy Jack’s and Wal-Mart.
Volunteers from CNS Pantex and Xcel Energy are installing and deinstalling The Wall, respectively, and over 100 volunteers from around the area will be assisting visitors and serving as honor guards at The Wall during its Amarillo visit, including many Vietnam Veterans.
For information on Crossing the Divide and The Wall That Heals, visit www.PanhandleRemembers.org and www.vvmf.org, or call Panhandle PBS at 806-371-5479.
