The Wall That Heals

Morgan City officials are expected large crowds Dec. 2-5 with the arrival of The Wall That Heals, a half-scale traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the nation’s Capitol.

The memorial opens at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, and will stay open 24 hours daily through Sunday. The exhibit, which stretches 250 feet, will be erected in front of the city’s municipal auditorium on Myrtle Street. Viewing is free to the public.

“This is going to impact visitors immediately,” said Carrie Stansbury, director of the Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau. “They’re going to see 58,000 names, and then have an opportunity to search for specific names of friends and loved ones.”

The powerful exhibit also includes a traveling museum designed to help guests understand the Vietnam War and that era, as well as an information center. Representatives with the tour said the displays feature more than 100,000 items that have been left at the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C., since it was built in 1982. Included among the items are the boots and dog tags worn in Vietnam by Jan Scruggs, who led the effort to erect the memorial.

Volunteers will be available throughout the tour stop to help visitors navigate on-site computers to locate specific names, Stansbury said.

Stansbury said locals can also participate in a national call for photographs. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is collecting pictures of each of the troops listed on the wall. A scanner will be set up onsite where photos and remembrances can be submitted, she said.