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The Wall That Heals is a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., that tours the country with a mobile education center.

The Wall That Heals is a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., that tours the country with a mobile education center. (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund)

(Tribune News Service) — The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., sprung up Wednesday on the soccer field of Glacier High School in Kalispell, Mont., where it will stand through the weekend.

The memorial will be open for public viewing, day and night, until Sunday afternoon.

Glacier Park Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2522 is the proud host of the movable monument, said Les Kodlick, a member of the committee that managed and planned the event.

"Vietnam is a part of American history that we just can't forget," Kodlick said.

The wall comes to the valley on behalf of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 1980 to build the national memorial in Washington. The nonprofit works to honor Vietnam veterans and educate communities on the impact of the Vietnam War.

“There are (about 58,000) names on the wall,” Kodlick said. “Almost 300 of those are Montanans.”

Kodlick requested, through the memorial fund, for the wall to come to Kalispell both last year and this year. Planning for this year's successful request has been going on for around six months, he said. Many organizations, sponsors and businesses have stepped up to assist the committee as well, including Glacier High School, local fire departments and members of area VFW posts.

"The response has been amazing," Kodlick said.

Wednesday's work consisted of volunteers assembling the frame, carrying the panels and arranging educational displays, all under a massive American flag held aloft by an aerial lift.

Kodlick's father, who now lives in Arizona, was an Air Force pilot in the Vietnam War. It was not until Kodlick returned from a tour in Afghanistan with the Air Force that his father discussed his time in Vietnam — decades after the war. Allowing veterans to reflect, share experiences and heal is one of many reasons that the wall is important.

"Fast forward to today, it's important that veterans share their story and that younger generations hear about this part of history," Kodlick said.

Kalispell is one of 32 cities to host the exhibit this year. Prior to its arrival in the valley, the wall was showcased in Missouri. The Wall That Heals used to be a half-scale version of the wall in Washington until 2017, site manager Elaine Koontz said. Kalispell hosted the wall that year as well.

"It's very important for our Vietnam veterans to get healing," Koontz said. "Especially since they never got a welcome home."

The exhibit also includes a 53-foot trailer that transforms into a mobile education center — a mini museum. The exterior features a timeline of the war, the history of the wall and information about the memorial in Washington.

Like the original memorial, the wall is set up in a chevron shape. As is commonly done in Washington, visitors can find the name of a loved one and use paper and charcoal to make a rubbing on the traveling wall's synthetic granite surface. It is 375 feet in length and stands 7 1/2 feet high at its tallest point, according to the memorial fund.

The Mountain Climber will provide rides to the wall from the Columbia Falls Senior Center and VFW posts in Kalispell and Whitefish. A schedule is available on the public transit agency's Facebook page.

Tear down will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday. Kodlick hopes to get 20,000 people to view the exhibit before then.

(c)2023 the Daily Inter Lake (Kalispell, Mont.)

Visit dailyinterlake.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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