Traveling National Vietnam Veterans Memorial plans stop in Allen Parish
Vietnam Veterans ceremony was held at Lake Charles Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Saturday, March 25, 2023. (Kirk Meche)
The American Veterans Traveling Tribute, a replica of the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial, will be visiting Allen Parish this fall, just in time for Veterans Day.
The exhibit will be on display Nov. 3-7 next to the Inn at Coushatta, off U.S. 165 and Hickory Flat Road in Kinder. The memorial will be open 24 hours a day and will be free to the public.
The 8-foot-tall, 360-foot-long Traveling Vietnam Wall will honor and remember the more than 58,000 soldiers whose names are engraved on the wall. The exhibit will be accompanied by the Cost of Freedom Tribute, a series of smaller panels that recognizes the service and sacrifices of veterans during World War I and II, Korea, Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
'There are 885 soldiers' names from Louisiana on that wall and that shocks me,' Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 215 President Mike Breaux said.
Six of those names on the wall are from Allen Parish.
This is the third time a replica of the Vietnam Wall has been displayed in Allen Parish in 25 years, with previous visits in 2000 and 2004.
'I think it is great that we are getting the wall here again for all our veterans who can't go to Washington, D.C.,' Vietnam Veterans of America State President Terry Courville said, noting that the same names engraved on the wall in Washington, D.C. are also on the traveling replica.
Courville said the wall is an emotional experience that serves as a healing for veterans and their families, especially as many Vietnam veterans approach 80 years old.
Allen Parish Tourist Director Adagria Haddock said several events are being planned to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country, including special educational tours for school children.
'It lets every generation know the importance of the Vietnam war and the sacrifices that were made by those who served,' she said. 'It is our hope that the wall will educate youth so that history may never die.'
Organizers are also planning to have area high school students read the names of the local veterans on the wall.
In conjunction with the exhibit, vendors will offer information, services and resources on veterans' programs, including benefits, housing, jobs, recovery, counseling and more.
The event is sponsored by the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 215 and the Allen Parish Tourist Commission.
The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 215 and Allen Parish Tourist Commission are seeking volunteers and donations.
More information and a schedule of events will be announced closer to the event date.
For more information, contact the Allen Parish Tourism Commission at 337-639-4868.
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