Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1462311
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MARCH 23 -29, 2022 UCW 11 With 2.7 million Americans hav- ing served in Vietnam from 1964 to 1975, the Vietnam War impacted and defined over a decade of American History. March 29, Vietnam Veter- ans Day was established by former President Barrack Obama in 2012 and made official in 2017 with e Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 signed into law by former President Donald J. Trump. With 58,318 killed, 61% being under 21, and over 75,000 severely injured, the war impacted the entire country. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, 1584 Americans remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, 1062 individual's remains have been repatriated since the beginning of 1973. Memorializing these losses in Washington, D.C., the Vietnam Vet- erans Memorial, dedicated in 1982, reflects the names of those killed during the conflict. e Moving Wall has toured the U.S for 30 years, a half-size replica of the Memorial in Washinton, D.C. e Moving Wall was inspired dur- ing Vietnam veteran John Devitt's attendance at the commemoration of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. A small group of Vietnam veterans built e Moving Wall to "share that experience with those who did not have the opportu- nity to go to Washington," according to movingwall.org. e Moving Wall is making its third visit to Fayetteville as part of the Air- borne and Special Operations four- day community-wide remembrance event "Vietnam War: Reflections of Courage." e Moving Wall will be on display on the ASOM parade field and will be accessible to visitors 24 hours a day during the event. ere will be a directory available for those who may want to make a rubbing of a loved one's name. e four-day event will mark the 49th anniversary of the end of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam on March 29. And while the Moving Wall will be the centerpiece of the event, the event will offer so much more to at- tendees; organizers are anticipating a large turnout in the thousands. "Many veterans' groups and military organizations will be drawn to e Moving Wall as it represents honor, respect, healing and closure for so many men and women who served during the Vietnam War and their families. With Cumberland County and North Carolina hav- ing one of the highest populations of Vietnam Veterans in the U.S., this exhibit in Fayetteville will give many people in our community and beyond an opportunity to honor and respect those who made the ultimate sacrifice through remembrance and education," said Jim Bartlinski, mu- seum director, ASOM. An opening Remembrance Cer- emony begins at 4 p.m. on March 25 at the Yarborough Bank eater and will be followed by a pinning ceremony. Speaking at the ceremony are two local Vietnam Veterans with community ties. Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Jimmie Spencer, an ASOM volunteer and member of their Military Advisory Committee, will be speaking. During the war, Spencer served with the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) (Airborne) and with the Military Advisory Command. Ron Matthews will also speak at the event. Matthews is a local who served in the Republic of Vietnam from 1969 to 1970 with the 1st Infan- try Division and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. eir stories are unique, and their connection to the local community is invaluable. Speaking about Mathews, ASOM Foundation Executive Di- rector, Renee Lane, explained his story is unique, and as a community leader, it is important for people to hear his story. "He has a really good story about his service there [the Republic of Vietnam]," said Lane. "He's a com- munity leader here, and everybody knows him, and I think it would be important for people to hear his story." Following the speakers and cer- emony, visiting Vietnam veterans can be pinned. e pins are only for living veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, but there is a unique pin for those who served from No- vember 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975. e Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin holds deep significance for those who wear it. Many Vietnam veterans said they are glad they served, 91%, and many say they would serve again, 74%. ere is a great deal of pride regard- ing their service among Vietnam veterans. "I have a number of medals pinned on in my day … even though it might just be a lapel pin to a lot of people, this is like a medal to the Vietnam veterans," said retired Col. Mi- chael Brazelton, U.S. Air Force, in a pamphlet from the United States of America Vietnam War Commemora- tion. Brazelton is a former Vietnam War POW and was awarded the Silver Star four times. e pinning program is offered by ASOM all year. Still, they expect to have an opportunity to pin many ad- ditional veterans who will be visiting during "Vietnam War: Reflections of Courage." On March 26, retired Lt. Col Jack Kelley will speak about his book "Bonded in Battle." Kelley served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. His book details the true account of Sgt. Charles Morris, who received the Medal of Honor for his leader- ship and bravery in Vietnam in June of 1966. Following the book discus- sion, ASOM will be hosting a screen- ing of the documentary "My Father's Brothers" by Kelley's son, Shawn Kelley. e following day, March 27, the documentary "e Wall at Heals" will be shown. e documentary fo- cuses on the stories of North Carolin- ians who served in Vietnam. e documentary is slated to air on FOX 50, WRAL-TV and PBS-North Carolina. Event organizers expect a "full house for these events and highly recommend attendees register for the events. To register for the Remembrance Ceremony visit, https://bit.ly/remceremony, for the March 26 event visit, https://bit. ly/326vietnam and for the March 27 event visit, https://bit.ly/327vietnam. In addition to the Moving Wall and guest speakers, ASOM encourages visitors to take some time and walk through the museum's gallery. "I would encourage people to go into our gallery because we have the exhibit on the 173rd with the Huey. at highlights Lawrence Joel, the medic, and Chaplain Watters. And of course, the POW Nick Rowe exhibit that we have, and of course the Red Hats [Military Assistance Command Vietnam] exhibit," Bartlinski said. In addition, there will be unique Vietnam-era artwork and artifacts on display throughout the museum lobby. "is is a great way to educate the public on Vietnam. And it's not just the Wall, but inside the museum in the lobby here, we have a lot of arti- facts that have never been on display before from the Vietnam era. And I think that it's important for people to see the artifacts and understand the meaning behind them. And certain- ly, come away more educated about what happened than when they walked in the door," said Lane. e artifacts are a mixture of Air- borne, Special Forces and even some Montagnard artifacts. 'Vietnam War: Reflections of Courage' event marks 49th anniversary of end of U.S. involvement in Vietnam by EMILY SUSSMAN EVENT EMILY SUSSMAN, Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. A Missing Man Table is set during a Moving Wall visit at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum, May 2017. Each item on the Missing Man Table represents the emotions and feelings reserved for those who did not come home. (Photo by Alyson Hansen.)