FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 27, 2019

Contact: Andrew Heath, Executive Director, 717-824-2281

THE WALL THAT HEALS IS COMING TO BENTONVILLE

OVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, 2019

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica Wall and Mobile Education Center

spreads healing legacy of The Wall and educates about the impact of the Vietnam War

Bentonville, AR -- The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial along with a mobile Education Center, is coming to Bentonville from May 23rd to May 27th. The Wall will be placed at Buckyball Field located at the entrance to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and will be open 24 hours a day, beginning at 12:01am on May 23rd and closing at 1:00pm on May 27th. This experience is free to the public.  The Wall That Heals honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed forces in the Vietnam War and it bears the names of the more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the most visited memorials in our nation’s capital, with more than 5.3 million visitors each year. However, many Americans have not been able to visit what has become known to many as “The Wall.” The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the organization that built The Wall in 1982, wants to give all veterans and their family members across America an opportunity to see the Memorial.

“VVMF is pleased to bring The Wall That Heals mobile exhibit to Bentonville to allow local veterans and their family members a chance to visit The Wall and honor and remember those who have served and sacrificed,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of VVMF. “We hope it provides an opportunity for healing and an educational experience for the whole community on the impact of the Vietnam War on America.”

“We’re humbled to have The Wall That Heals make a stop here in Northwest Arkansas,” said Brigadier General (Retired) Gary Profit, Senior Director, Military Programs at Walmart . “A tribute like this reminds us all of how many brave men and women paid the ultimate price defending our country, and by including the education center with the exhibit, we can all be better informed to the Vietnam War’s place in our nation’s history.”

Nearly 400,000 people visited an all-new The Wall That Heals exhibit in 2018. Since its debut in 1996, the exhibit has been on display in more than 500 U.S. communities in addition to an April 1999 tour of the Four Provinces of Ireland and a visit to Canada in 2005. Hosting The Wall That Heals provides a community with a multi-day experience that includes an educational experience for local schools and organizations on the history of the Vietnam era and The Wall.

VVMF coordinates local stops of The Wall That Heals and the accompanying mobile Education Center. The current schedule and more information can be found at:  www.thewallthatheals.org.  The 2019 national The Wall That Heals tour is hauled through a partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and the trucking industry and generously sponsored by USAA.

The hosts for The Wall That Heals in Bentonville are Downtown Bentonville Inc., Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc., and Walmart.

For more information pertaining to The Wall’s visit to Bentonville, please visit www.DowntownBentonville.org/wall.

About The Wall replica

           The three-quarter scale Wall replica is 375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at its tallest point. With the replica at this size, visitors are able to experience The Wall rising above them as they walk towards the apex, a key feature of the design of The Wall in D.C.

Like the original Memorial, The Wall That Heals is erected in a chevron-shape and visitors are able to do name rubbings of individual service member’s names on The Wall. The names are listed in order of date of casualty and alphabetically on each day. Beginning at the center/apex, the names start on the East Wall (right-hand side) working their way out to the end of that wing, picking up again at the far end of the West Wall (left-hand side) and working their way back in to the center/apex. The first and last casualties are side by side at the apex of the Memorial.

The replica is constructed of Avonite, a synthetic granite, and its 144 individual panels are supported by an aluminum frame. Modern LED lighting from the top of The Wall provides readability of The Wall at night.

About the mobile Education Center

           The Wall That Heals is transported from community to community in a 53-foot trailer.  When parked, the trailer opens with exhibits built into its sides, allowing it to serve as a mobile Education Center telling the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall and the divisive era in American history.

The mobile Education Center displays includes:  digital photo displays of “Hometown Heroes” - service members whose names are on The Wall that list their home of record within the area of a visit; digital photo displays of Vietnam veterans from the local area honored through VVMF’s In Memory program which honors veterans who returned home from Vietnam and later died as a result of their service; video displays that teach about the history and impact of The Wall and of the collection of items representative of those left­ at The Wall in D.C.; educational exhibits told through items in the collection; a map of Vietnam and a chronological overview of the Vietnam War. The exhibits tell the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall and the era surrounding the conflict, and are designed to put American experiences in Vietnam in a historical and cultural context.

About VVMF

            The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is the nonprofit organization that built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall) in Washington, D.C. in 1982. VVMF continues to lead the way in paying tribute to our nation’s Vietnam veterans and their families. VVMF’s mission is to honor and preserve the legacy of service in America and educate all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War and era through programs, ceremonies and education materials. To learn more about VVMF, visit www.vvmf.org or call 202-393-0090.

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