Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial comes to Menifee
Vietnam veterans pose for photos in front of the truck carrying the memorial wall. (Staff photos) By Doug Spoon, Editor The “Wall that Hea...
By Doug Spoon, Editor
The “Wall that Heals” has arrived in Menifee.
A three-quarter scale replica of the original Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall arrived by police escort Tuesday at Miller-Jones Mortuary, where it will be assembled for 24-hour-a-day viewing from Wednesday evening through Sunday. A Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
A large group of veterans riding motorcycles joined the procession Tuesday as the semi truck hauling pieces of the wall made its way from the Sun City Civic Association to the mortuary. Residents with American flags sat in front of their homes on Cherry Hills Boulevard and Murrieta Road and waved to the procession as it passed.
Emotions ran high among those who were in attendance. Michael Cano, a Vietnam Veteran and Commander of local VFW Post 1956, choked up and had trouble speaking about the significance of this event. A lengthy application process is required for a city to be eligible to host the Wall; Menifee is one of only two Southern California cities that will host it this year.
“I wanted to bring something like this where my grandfather can experience it before he passes away,” said Stephanie Ornelas, who made the application on behalf of Miller-Jones. “I know he’ll never make it to Washington D.C. (site of the permanent memorial). A year ago, I got this idea to apply. I wasn’t sure if it would ever happen because I knew they didn’t approve a lot of people who work for corporations. It’s more organizations and cities. But I went through their process.
"Finally, I got a call saying, ‘You’re the one. We can’t tell you how many others applied for this, but for some reason, we knew this was the right decision.’”
The Wall That Heals is erected in a chevron shape and visitors can do name rubbings of individual service member’s names on The Wall. Volunteers will be on hand to assist visitors and guard the wall 24 hours a day at Miller-Jones Memorial Park, located at 26770 Murrieta Road in Menifee.
“We have thousands of military veterans in this city – many that have served in Vietnam,” said Mayor Bill Zimmerman. “We are a patriotic city and so this means so much to those who have served. We appreciate them for protecting us in their service to our nation. I appreciate that Miller-Jones Mortuary was able to secure Menifee as a site for this traveling wall that is difficult to get.”
Ornelas said Zimmerman was as surprised as anyone when Menifee was approved to be a host city.
“I wanted more partners, and someone I know said, ‘Do you want to talk to the mayor?’ and set it up. I said, ‘Hi, Mayor Zimmerman. My name’s Stephanie and I’ve got something to propose to you.’
“To see his mouth hit the table was priceless. I’m forever thankful he said yes to that meeting, because that’s what sparked the relationship between all three of us (including VFW Post 1956) to bring it all together.”
Local resident and VFW member Ed Samuelson has visited the permanent memorial in Washington D.C. several times. Samuelson, who served two tours in Vietnam, always finds the name on the wall of a high school buddy who never made it back from the war.
“I can’t put it in words,” he said. “I’ve seen the wall multiple times. The best time to go see it is at night. It’s totally different. The atmosphere. It’s not an eerie atmosphere .. reserved doesn’t quite cover it … but the feeling you get is that everyone is at peace.
“I hope a big crowd comes to see it. Most of the people in the U.S. haven’t been to D.C. to see it. This is probably as close as most of them will ever get.”
Since its dedication in 1996, the traveling wall has visited more than 700 cities.
“Bringing The Wall home to communities throughout our country allows the souls enshrined on the Memorial to exist once more among family and friends in the peace and comfort of familiar surroundings,” the Wall that Heals website states. “The traveling exhibit provides thousands of veterans who have been unable to cope with the prospect of facing The Wall to find the strength and courage to do so within their own communities, thus allowing the healing process to begin.”
Menifee City Council member Dean Deines, a veteran himself, was among those present for the escort of the wall to the mortuary on Tuesday.
“Considering this is one of only two stops here in Southern California, this is very much an honor for our city,” he said. “With the large number of veterans we have in the city, it is very appropriate and very welcoming to have the wall here. This will bring some closure to some of our Vietnam Veterans and highlight that they served and fought for our country."
For more information about the Wall that Heals in Menifee, visit this link.
Paloma Valley High School's Maroon Platoon played music at the destination point.
