Encore Presentation
A replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. was created and traveled around the country in the late 90’s. It is called “The Wall That Heals” and when it made its final stop in Altoona, the citizens of Blair County decided it should stay. However, since then the Wall has become in need of upgrade and repair.
The Wall is engraved with the names of 58,202 individuals who were killed in the Vietnam War. We spoke with a few Vietnam Veterans who explain to us how much the Wall means to them, seeing the names of friends and fellow soldiers who lost their lives in Vietnam.
John Clay, the Voluntary Services Supervisor for the VA, explains to us the importance of upgrading the Wall from its temporary and mobile setup to a more permanent memorial for the honoring of Vietnam War Veterans. The undertaking would take upwards of a Million Dollars, and for that, John says they need help from the Community. We also spoke with Geoff Behrens, the General Manager of Alto-Reste Park, who shares his link to the Vietnam War and says how proud he is to be a part of the project.
Members of the project plead there case for the building of a permanent memorial.