SOLON— In 1982 a pair of black granite walls with the names of over 58,000 American servicemen and women who were killed in the Vietnam War was dedicated in Washington, DC. Vietnam veteran John Devitt attended the dedication and felt what he described as “the positive power of The Wall.” Devitt, Norris Shears, Gerry Haver, and others formed Vietnam Combat Veterans, Ltd. and set about recreating a half-sized traveling replica, which went on the road for the first time in 1984.
This weekend, area residents can see “The Moving Wall” in person in Solon.
The Solon American Legion Stinocher Post 460 is hosting the traveling memorial from noon on Thursday, August 12, through noon on Monday, August 16, at the American Legion Field, near the Johnson County Freedom Rock. The Legion had planned on hosting the display last year as part of the Post’s 100th anniversary, however the COVID pandemic led to cancellation.
As with so many Vietnam veterans, Solon vet Michel Montgomery has a personal connection to the wall as three of his best friends are listed on it. Montgomery graduated from Solon High School in 1964 and enlisted in the Marine Corps on a $20 bet his Korean War veteran uncle made that he wouldn’t get through Boot Camp. Montgomery not only made it through, but earned the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor insignia of a Marine, “I told him where he could put his 20 bucks,” and was deployed to South Vietnam in 1965 to start a 14-month tour of duty in-country as a machine gunner in an infantry company.
“It was a very unpopular war fought for a very ungrateful nation,” he said, “and it used the best we had. When we came back there was so much animosity and hate, and all we did was go do our jobs. That’s all we did. We didn’t have nothing to do with decision making, just go do your job, and then come home to ‘you baby killer.’ and on and on and on. But that’s because of the perception they got (from media, celebrities, and academia).” For decades, even after the dedication of the Wall in DC, and the statue of three combat soldiers, Vietnam veterans still struggle for acceptance, and respect for having served when their country called.
“We Vietnam veterans ask for nothing in return for our service except the respect of our countrymen. This respect was, and sometimes still is, hard to get. We were prepared to serve. We were prepared to be wounded. We were prepared to die. However, when we came home, we were not prepared to be forgotten. Nor were we prepared to be cursed at, spit on, have bodily waste poured on us, or be called ‘baby killers’ among other things.” Those who served in Vietnam, be they volunteer or draftee, did not come home to parades or elaborate welcome-home ceremonies. Often, they came home on chartered commercial aircraft. “They dropped us off at a military base in the middle of the night, and we were told to change into civilian clothes if we had them, because once you leave (the base) you’re out in the public and, ‘They don’t have much respect for you.’ It was just plain hate, because you wore the uniform and went and did your job.”
Montgomery wants people to realize the significance of those 58,000-plus names on display.
“There would be no Wall if it wasn’t for the people whose names are on it.” Montgomery will speak during a ceremony on Saturday, August 14 at 10 a.m. “I’m trying to gear my talk to the people themselves. I’m going to introduce them to my three best friends on the Wall.” PFC Stephen P. Alsted, PFC Delbert L. “Terrance” Trube, and PFC Cresencio Paul Sanchez are three of the names listed on Panel 05E, and all three were killed in action on March 4, 1966, in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. “These are real people. They’re not just names, they’re real people, and they had families that cried about them.”
Recognizing those “real people,” their service, and their sacrifice, is echoed in a window display at the Solon Hardware Store, adjacent to the Legion Post. Solon resident Toni Russo curated the display, which features items on-loan from local Vietnam veterans, photographs, and memorial quotes about those lost.
“What I tried to do was to create a neutral cemetery scene,” Russo said, “The point is to just set a scene in keeping with the Wall’s intent, which is ‘no politics.’ Everything is neutral. The photographs are some of the classic Vietnam photos. I tried to get women represented (eight women, all nurses, are listed on the wall), and young men of color, so that all aspects are represented. I tried to respect and maintain the integrity of the Wall’s purpose.”
Russo grew up during the Vietnam War era and has had several personal connections with Vietnam veterans. “I know a lot of veterans, I understand what their issues are, I’ve heard them talk about it, and I get it. With the Wall coming here, it was … yeah, I’ll stand up for it, and this was something we could do here at the hardware store in honor of what they’re trying to do, which is to continue to put it out there that Vietnam is not yet resolved, veteran’s issues (exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange, as an example) are not resolved, and this is a way of pushing it forward. They’re (the veterans) still haunted by it, and the Wall and the (display) window, it’s personal. It’s a personal experience, and that’s it’s power…that you come, and it (the Wall) speaks for them. The Wall tells its own story, and it brings healing and peace. We were proud to be able to do this, and its just a small token for them, for their efforts.”
The Moving Wall arrives in Solon Thursday morning, August 12, after being escorted from Coralville and will be open from noon until noon on Monday, August 16. Viewing is open to the public 24 hours a day with onsite security present. A short ceremony, including a reading of the names of Johnson County (and surrounding counties) Vietnam War dead will be held on Saturday, August 14 at 10 a.m.
Limited parking will be available at the Legion Park with additional parking available at the Solon High School and Middle School, the Solon Nature and Recreation Area, and at Lakeview Elementary School. Shuttle will run continuously between the various parking lots and the park.
For additional information: https://solonamericanlegionpost460.com or Solon American Legion Stinocher Post #460 | Facebook.
It should be noted The Moving Wall isn’t, by its nature, a tourist attraction, or a novelty.
“The Wall is a holy place with the names of real people,” said Montgomery. “Every name up there had a mother and a father, a family, a community. They were real people, it’s not just names. They did their best, they did everything they were asked to do.”
For the ones who made it home, Montgomery said, “They were treated (poorly), and they became doctors and lawyers, and engineers, and carried on with their life even though they had to, and still do, keep a lot of the war inside of them. It was really traumatic for a lot of folks when they came back so it made them afraid to say anything. So, we didn’t say nothing, we just kept it inside. I just hope this registers with some people that this was a real thing, these were real people, and this is why we can do the things we do the way we do them.”

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Michel Montgomery