For five summer days at the end of July, more than 6,800 people visited The Wall That Heals, the half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that came to the Quad Cities for a visit.
Organized by WQPT-Quad Cities PBS and set up on the campus of Western Illinois University-Quad Cities along the banks of the Mississippi River, the visit became a meaningful community event for thousands. WQPT would like to thank the Quad-Cities for its support of this exhibit and share some of the effect.
Some came every day, and some brought their children to honor and talk about the effect the Vietnam War had on their families. More than 125 volunteers stood watch and devoted more than 625 hours so it could be open 24 hours per day. One visitor expressed his appreciation for the extended hours because he wanted to visit the wall and spend some quiet alone time with his friends to honor their service and sacrifice, even though he had not been called up for service. Five honor guards participated in the awakening and reflection ceremonies, and eight pastors, ministers or chaplains delivered prayers. More than 80 flags lined the perimeter of the campus.
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There were 16 events during the course of the exhibit, along with 39 screenings of Ken Burns’ "The Vietnam War." The story of this period in our shared history is told from many perspectives in this 18-hour television series that will be broadcast during 10 nights. WQPT will air the series beginning Sept. 25.
Our community was active on Facebook, too. More than 70,000 people were reached, and videos from The Wall That Heals were viewed more than 9,000 times. We collected 15 interviews for the Veterans History Project, providing more than 750 minutes of stories for the Library of Congress archive.
Volunteer dedication was supplemented by 840 bottles of water, 60 pounds of bananas and pears, 138 bags of chips and crackers and 100 pounds of ice. WQPT’s Director of Education and Outreach personally clocked 113,256 steps during the visit – the equivalent of 66 miles. WQPT staff and WIU-QC facilities’ staff also devoted their constant attention to assure the quality of experience for our community.
The personal stories of keynote speakers from the opening and closing ceremonies, Raymond Torres and Dr. Art Tate, provided a profound connection between attendees and the experience of Vietnam veterans. Two of the three official flags flown over The Wall were gifted to these speakers. Every day, veterans could be seen sharing their stories of service with one another. Local veterans’ groups, including the Vietnam Veterans of America local chapters and the Mexican American Veterans Association were on hand throughout, from the motorcycle escort provided for The Wall’s arrival to the mobile Veterans Center on site to joining with the color guards that saluted the fallen.
This was part of WQPT’s ongoing community initiative, Embracing Our Military, and hosted by Western Illinois University’s Quad Cities campus. WQPT wishes to thank the community and all our Embracing Our Military partners for their response to the occasion and is grateful to be of service to an important part of our shared community experience.
