Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial brings memories, emotions to Goodyear

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jenna Sarvinski
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Arizona --  Emotions were high as a crowd of more than 500 people gathered in Goodyear, Arizona, for the opening ceremony of The Moving Wall exhibit Oct. 3.  The memorial is a half-sized replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C., and features the names of more than 58,000 Vietnam veterans who gave their lives or remain missing in action. 

Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, 56th Fighter Wing commander, served as the keynote speaker for the ceremony and used a Valley landmark to highlight just how large a group of 58,000 actually is.

"To put that number into perspective, that's ten thousand more people than the Diamondbacks' Chase Field can hold for an afternoon of baseball," Pleus said. "More than 35,000 Soldiers, 2,500 Sailors, 2,500 Airmen, and nearly 15,000 Marines paid the ultimate price."

John Compton, Estrella Mountain Ranch resident, first brought the idea to bring The Moving Wall to the community. The overwhelming support from the idea stage to it becoming a reality was shown by the number of people gathered in the crowd. People from all generations attended and while many of those might not have been alive yet to have memories of that time in our history, the legacy of the brave men and women lives on through memorials like The Moving Wall.  The names are inscribed in the black granite walls and offer visitors the opportunity to trace their name and take a lasting memory home.

There is not a state untouched by the Vietnam War.  For Arizona, that means 622 heroes honored on the wall, "Who all represent the very best America had to offer," Pleus said. "They reflect all of our great nation's different races, religions and social classes."

That history runs deep for Luke Air Force Base as well.  Luke's 56th Security Forces Squadron was once named the 56th Security Police Squadron while it was stationed in Vietnam.  The squadron suffered the loss of 18 men in the rescue effort of the American merchant ship the S.S. Mayaguez, which was seized by the Khmer Rouge.  Like the veterans whose names will be read from Oct. 4 through Oct. 6 at The Moving Wall memorial, the 18 men lost from the 56th Security Police Squadron are honored in a ceremony every May at Luke Air Force Base. 

Pleus concluded the ceremony by adding, "It's been said that these memorials reflect a hunger for healing.  While I don't know if perfect healing ever occurs, I know that sometimes when a bone is broken, if it's knit together well, it will in the end be stronger than if it had not been broken.  I believe that in the decades since Vietnam the healing has begun, and I hope for all those affected by all the nation's wars, that they and their families find peace in knowing their sacrifice helped shape the great country we have today."