Traveling memorial honors our Vietnam veterans

Earlier this month the nation celebrated the heroics of the World War II generation on the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the rugged European battle that changed the course of the war and the world. The stories of bravery are epic, and the stakes could not have been higher.

Locally, in the coming weeks, the attention is turning to our veterans from the Vietnam War. That war had a different outcome, with different stakes, and the nation did not embrace the conflict, which went on in some capacity from the mid-1950s to 1975. Unfortunately, soldiers from that era at the time were not embraced as they should have been.

But the men who fought for the United States in Vietnam were no less brave than any other generation.

The Wall That Heals, a traveling memorial that is half the size of the permanent memorial in Washington, D.C., will be temporarily anchored in Perryville until Sunday.

The wall and exhibit will be at the Perryville Soccer Complex, just off the U.S. Highway 51 bypass between St. Joseph Street and U.S. 61. It was escorted from Arkansas by veterans on motorcycles; a candlelight vigil is scheduled for sunset on Friday. The hours from sunrise to 10:30 a.m. Saturday are reserved for Vietnam veterans and their families and guests; and at noon Sunday, a ceremony will pay tribute to local Vietnam veterans with Gen. Frank Grass, a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, being the keynote speaker.

A recent story in the Southeast Missourian pointed out that the generation of Vietnam soldiers are approaching the age where they will need services in veterans homes. As with all wars, the soldiers who fought in Vietnam were left with many emotional scars and issues with PTSD, just as we see today from soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

We encourage you to take some time in the upcoming days to visit the memorial and pay respects. We're told it's a moving experience to see the wall with all of the names of soldiers lost.

God bless our Vietnam vets, our brave survivors.