Paying their respects
'Wall That Heals' brings back spirit, memories of Vietnam war dead
By Colleen Keane
Special to the Times
SANTA FE, N.M., March 27, 2014
(Times photos - Donovan Quintero)
It's half the size of the black granite Vietnam Veteran Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. But it's just as powerful.
Some say even more so, because the movable exhibit called the "Wall That Heals" brings the spirit and memories of loved ones home after more than 40 years.
Each of the names, of the 58,286 soldiers killed in combat during the Vietnam conflict, are etched onto the wall. Three hundred and ninety eight of them are New Mexican names. The movable wall has been to more than 300 communities across the United States since 1996.
From last Thursday to Sunday, the wall was set up in Santa Fe's Marcy Ball Park.
On Saturday night, about a thousand visitors quietly filtered into the park to listen to speakers, hear the reading of the names of fallen soldiers, pay respects to their loved ones and participate in a candlelight ceremony.
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