Military Veterans and their families joined LZ Michigan Thursday evening to officially open the Vietnam War memorial, ‘The Wall That Heals’ to the public at Fifth Third Ballpark in Grand Rapids. The Wall That Heals is part of a series of events hosted by LZ Michigan this weekend to welcome home and honor military veterans and their families.
“Really this is the opportunity for the community to say, it’s open and come down and celebrate this us,” Tim Tetz the director of Outreach for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund said.
Tetz says bringing the Wall That Heals to communities like West Michigan allows those who can’t make the trip to Washington D.C. the opportunity to still touch and see their loved ones names on the wall.
“It’s special, it gives them the opportunity to bring family members it absolutely is incredibly emotional for some folks,” he said.
During the opening ceremony, a number of wreaths were laid in honor of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the War in Vietnam. Next to the Wall That Heals is a dinner table set for one and incased in glass. The empty setting represents the empty place at the dinner table for fallen veterans who no longer with their loved ones.
The wall is available to the public 24 hours a day at Fifth Third Ballpark through Sunday afternoon.
