Vietnam wall's replica visiting at Bloomfield through Sunday

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Wall That Heals, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., is set up at Bloomfield at the Stars and Stripes Museum and Library on Highway 25. It will be open through Sunday.

The moving memorial, which is 250 feet long and lists the names of 58,220 people killed or missing in action during the Vietnam War, is set up near the museum and is open 24 hours a day. There is no charge to view the wall.

There are 401 names on the wall of men from Southeast Missouri, including 16 from Butler County and 22 from Stoddard County.

Deloris May, Stars and Stripes Museum director, said 18 busloads of students from the first grade through high school, visited the wall Thursday.

Evening ceremonies, which started Thursday, have been scheduled at 7 daily through Sunday.

The ceremonies start with opening remarks, that are followed by the presentation of the colors, national anthem, invocation, placing of flowers at the wall, introduction of a speaker, the address, 21 gun salute, taps and the retiring of the colors. The programs are expected to last less than an hour. John "Chuck" Stotz is scheduled to speak tonight, and George Reutzel is scheduled to speak Sunday evening.

Larry Roberts of Dexter, Mo., will sing "It's Always Been the Soldier" during tonight's program, and Gary Cappa of Bloomfield will give the closing remarks Sunday.

The wall coming to Bloomfield was sponsored by the Stars and Stripes Museum.

May said the museum would be open extended hours while the wall is at Bloomfield.