More than 5,000 visitors are estimated to have viewed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica when it was in Billings in early July.
While the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica—a three-quarter sized likeness of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.-- and Mobile Education Center were in Billings for 5 days, the event was in the planning stage for months.
“Amy Hunt, our committee’s chairperson, started before we did, and we started in October,” said T.J. Rogers, the Volunteer Coordinator for this event.
She said they needed at least 200 volunteers each day; Saturday they were blessed with 400.
Called The Wall That Heals, visitation started at 12am on July 2 and was open 24 hours a day until it’s closure on Sunday, July 5 at 2pm.
Chairwoman Amy Hunt told YPR some 5,000 visitors came to the exhibit at Will James Middle School, and over 500 attended the various daily, guided tours of the Mobile Education Center.
The guided tours were so popular an additional one was added on the last day.
Hunt said this exhibit had more visitors in a day than for a different tour in 2017.
Rogers (daughter and niece of Vietnam veterans and mom of an active-duty Marine) said she heard amazing, personal stories.
“I had one telling me just a few minutes ago…. He said he was about …he was about to jump off a helicopter and another kid from another unit took his place. Just jumped in front of him. Just cutting in line kind of. And he said they all died. And he didn’t. And he came home. There were tears in his eyes and he pointed and said I’m so glad they made this wall. And I thought, you know, that says it all for all of us,” Rogers explained.
Billings, stop 14 of 31 communities hosting the traveling exhibit this year. It honors , honoring more than 3-million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in that war, and the more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
