Traveling Vietnam War Memorial at USC Upstate Tuesday

By Leon G. Russ HOMETOWN NEWS lruss@hometown-news.com Frieda Davison, USC Upstate’s Dean of the Library and chair of the USC Upstate 40th Anniversary Celebration Committee, has been working hard preparing for the arrival of The Wall that Heals, a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. Davison told Marines at the Marine Corps Hutching’s Caldwell Detachment on March 20th that The Wall would arrive in Spartanburg on Tuesday, April 15. She stated it would be met by members of the Patriot Guard Riders, Rolling Thunder and ABATE of South Carolina. They will provide a motorcycle escort from the Ingles parking lot in Landrum (Exit 1 off I-26) to the USC Upstate campus where the Wall will be set in place and made ready for the opening ceremonies on Thursday April 17 at 10:00 am. The Wall will be located behind the Administration Building on the Main Quad. “This is a diverse group of riders from across the nation,” said Mike Nanney, a member of Rolling Thunder Chapter 2 South Carolina. Riders from 10 different states are expected to escort the wall to the USC Upstate campus. Nanney explained, “We are all united in the unwavering respect we have for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. It is a solemn honor and privilege to escort The Wall That Heals and to pay our respects to our fallen American heroes.” Davison noted when the college opened in 1968 there were “lots of things going on” related to the Vietnam War. She felt bringing the wall to the campus would be “a fitting tribute to our faculty and alumni veterans” while providing the Spartanburg community an opportunity as well to experience The Wall That Heals. Davison feels many people in the Upstate region may not have had the opportunity to visit the black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. There they can see and feel the names of friends and family etched in the stone and experience the quiet peace and healing that the Wall fosters. Bringing the wall to campus will allow visitors to experience a similar feeling, she said. Her hope is it will enable those who still are looking for closure to find it at the replica wall. Traveling with The Wall is a mobile museum. It offers war memorabilia display cases, maps of Vietnam and a history of the war. A 20-foot by 20-foot white canvas tent attached to the trailer serves as an information center where visitors can find names etched on the wall, either in a directory or by asking one of the volunteers working the computers. A variety of other materials are also available to assist visitors in their search. Davison explained the process to bring the Wall to the Upstate took 18 months from the start of the application process to the actual placement of the replica wall on campus. Twenty to twenty-five thousand people are expected to visit the campus to view The Wall That Heals. If you wish to schedule a group visit or to help with the event you are urged to call 846-503-5108 or Davison at 503-5610.Film Presentation of Vietnam Nurses in the Campus Life Center Ballroom