The names inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. include those of the 1,525 New Jersey servicemen and -women who died in the Vietnam War.
For those unable to visit the nation’s capital, a half-size replica known as “The Moving Wall” makes a six-day stop this month at Medford’s Freedom Park. The township council paid a $4,000 fee to host the exhibit, and an opening ceremony is scheduled for the 14th.
Although the replica’s panels are aluminum, not polished black granite like the original, visitors can still make rubbings of soldiers’ names, a common practice at the D.C. site. This 252-foot-long version, owned by the Vietnam Combat Veterans, has been installed in six New Jersey municipalities since it began crisscrossing the country in 1984.
Beth Richmond, Medford’s recreation director, anticipates a large turnout. “Given the local ties people here have to McGuire Air Force Base and Lockheed Martin, to be granted the opportunity to host the wall is quite an honor,” Richmond says.