Glenn County seeks return of Vietnam memorial wall replica
The last time The Wall That Heals was in Glenn County was 2016. There are hopes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica will be back in 2026.
Leadership from the Glenn County Health and Human Services Agency gave a presentation to the Glenn County Board of Supervisors earlier this month explaining the efforts necessary to apply for, fund and host the 375 foot memorial.
'There is a lot of planning associated with this project,' said Bob Johnson, Veterans Services officer with the Health and Human Services Agency.
Yasmin Caro from the Agency, said it would be a great honor to be able to once again host The Wall That Heals.
'The Wall is a replica of the Wall in Washington, D.C., that memorializes the 58,000 American service members who died or remain missing from the Vietnam War,' she added.
When the Wall was in Willows in 2016 more than 9,000 people were in attendance, Caro said.
'The Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands as a symbol of America's honor and recognition of all who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War,' she shared. 'There will be extensive planning involved in bringing The Wall That Heals to Glenn County, including support from government entities, schools, law enforcement, fire departments, Veterans Services, businesses and non-profits to help bring this honorable event to our community, to help lead, volunteer, fund, promote and more.'
Application deadline is Sept. 1 and there are currently 141 interested cities seeking one of the 34 locations slots for the national 2026 tour.
The cost to host is $12,000 and Caro said those funds would be raised through fundraising projects and donations. Additional costs include promoting the project, drinks/snacks for volunteer, city/county employee time, for example.
The Wall That Heals is ¾ scale of the original wall with a 53 foot education trailer that expands on both sides.
Entrance to view the traveling Wall is free to the public and Caro said if the memorial replica comes to Glenn County there are plans for all schools to attend and take a tour. The Wall is on display and open for viewing 24 hours a day.
'I would appreciate the help and support of this board as we work to honor our military veterans by submitting an application to bring The Wall That Heals back to Glenn County,' said Laura Hawkins, Glenn County Health and Human Services director.
The Board unanimously voiced their support for the project.
'You are rock stars for your work and effort towards this project,' said Supervisor Tony Arendt.
His comments were followed up with each of his fellow supervisors voicing their support for the Health and Human Services Agency submitting an application for the Wall That Heals to come to Glenn County next year.
As part of the application, Glenn County will need to pick three dates when it would be possible to host the event and find at least two locations in Orland where the Wall could be display – a space approximately the size of a football field with grass and areas for parking. In addition, the application requires a 200 word response of why The Wall That Heals should come to Glenn County.
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