To commemorate the healing legacy of The Wall That Heals when it stops in Brighton, the City will be hosting a series of events the week of the official public opening of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica Wall on Thursday, September 2. The public and media are welcome to attend.
Schedule of events:
Tuesday, Aug. 31 at 2 p.m.: The Wall That Heals will be escorted from the Adams County Government Center (4430 S. Adams County Parkway, Brighton) to Brighton City Hall (500 S. 4th Avenue). Welcoming ceremony to follow at 3 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 1 (all day): Volunteers from United Airlines, United 4 Veterans, will help to build The Wall That Heals.
Thursday, Sept. 2 (starting at dawn): The Wall That Heals opens to the public.
Friday, Sept. 3 at 6:30 p.m.: Candlelight ceremony with speakers to follow, including Mayor Gregory Mills, Councilman Tim Watts, Adams County Commissioner Charles “Chaz” Tedesco, and local veteran George Ryan.
Sunday, Sept. 5 (at 2 p.m.): The Wall That Heals closes to the public.
Outdoor COVID guidelines at the time will apply.
More about The Wall That Heals:
The 2021 tour of The Wall That Heals and Mobile Education Center will be making its sole stop in Colorado in Brighton Sept. 2 - 5. The Wall will be located at Carmichael Park, just behind City Hall (500 S. 4th Ave.) and will be open 24 hours a day and 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 bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. The three-quarter scale Wall replica is 375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at its tallest point. Visitors will experience The Wall rising above them as they walk towards the apex, a key feature of the design of The Wall in D.C. Visitors are able to do name rubbings of individual service member’s names on The Wall.
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 Education Center exhibit includes digital photo displays of “Hometown Heroes” - service members whose names are on
The Wall, digital photo displays of Vietnam veterans from the local area honored through VVMF’s “In Memory” program, video displays that teach about the history and impact of The Wall and more.
The 2021 national The Wall That Heals tour is generously sponsored by USAA. Through a partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), the trucking industry and Blue Beacon, the exhibit is able to travel across the country.
Since its debut in 1996, the exhibit has been on display in nearly 700 U.S. communities in addition to an April 1999 tour of the Four Provinces of Ireland and a visit to Canada in 2005. The Wall That Heals is a program of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the nonprofit organization that built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 1982. The Wall That Heals is the only traveling exhibit affiliated with The Wall in Washington, D.C. and includes the largest Wall replica that travels the country. Two VVMF staff members lead volunteers on site, educate visitors and students, and ensure the reflective atmosphere of The Wall. More information can be found at thewallthatheals.org.