WELLSBURG, W.Va. — A special salute to fallen heroes makes a stop in Wellsburg.
The ‘West Virginia Vietnam Mobile Wall’ arrived at Central Park on Tuesday morning.
It was escorted by the American Legion Riders of The Upper Ohio Valley. Once assembled, the wall honors the 732 West Virginians who died in combat in Vietnam.
A second display is dedicated veterans who died on foreign soil in wars after 1975. The wall has been to all 55 counties in West Virginia over the past decade and has made two prior stops in Wellsburg.
This is the final time it will be here before the wall is retired.
“This wall, to us, is very sacred,” said Dave Simmons, West Virginia State Council president, Vietnam Veterans of America.
“Myself personally, I’ve been doing it 10 years because I have an uncle, two first cousins, two second cousins and five guys I served with on the wall, so it’s very important to me to bring it out, not so much for the Vietnam vets, this is for everybody.”
“To me personally I think the Vietnam vets need to be treated higher and more respectful because of how they were treated when they came home,” said Jack Newbrough, Legion Rider Director Upper Ohio Valley West Virginia.
“That’s what we do, we make sure they get treated right.”
A public ceremony will take place at the wall at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
The wall will remain on display until about noon on Thursday.
Location:
17th Street
Wellsburg , West Virginia 26070