SOLON — After a year’s delay due to the pandemic, and many months of planning, The Moving Wall – a half-sized replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, DC arrived in Solon for public viewing from Thursday, Aug. 12 until Monday, August 16. Over 58,000 names are on the wall representing the American servicemen (and eight women) who were killed between 1955 (the Wall starts at 1959 representing military advisors, however since the Wall was erected in 1982, it was discovered the first casualties were in 1956 and 1957) and 1975. Ten men from Johnson County are represented on the Wall: (Iowa City) PFC William Adams, CPL Virgil Bixby, 2LT Thomas Dostal, 1LT Francis Gaulocher, SGT Darrell Hamlin, CPT Kenneth Hammel, and MAJ Elwin Shain; (Solon) SP4 Donald Rupe and SP4 William McPherson; and (Swisher) PFC Terrell Randall.
All ten were recognized with 39 from Linn County, five from Iowa County, five from Benton County, seven from Cedar County, six from Louisa County, seven from Muscatine County, and six from Washington County during a reading of the names Monday, August 16.
The Wall was available to the public 24 hours per day and attracted thousands to the site in the American Legion Stinocher Post 460’s Legion Park in Solon. Visitors were able to obtain assistance finding a particular name among the many panels, and often made a rubbing of the name once found. In one instance, an elderly woman spoke of her brother, who was killed in action. A Vietnam veteran in a wheelchair initially asked the volunteer assisting him to just roll him past the walls while saying he knew several men upon it. Once back in his vehicle, the combat veteran broke down in tears over friends lost.
Local Vietnam veteran Mike Montgomery delivered a keynote address during a Saturday, August 14 ceremony. Montgomery, a Marine, lost three of his best friends in one day, and took the opportunity to tell the attendees about them. Fellow vet Doug “Doc” Thompson, Chaplain for the Stinocher Post, loaned his combat helmet to the creation of a battlefield cross (a soldier’s boots, inverted rifle, dog tags, and combat helmet sitting on top), complete with the gun oil, ace of spades playing card, and his pipe all tucked into the band holding the jungle camouflage cover on – just as it was when he served as a combat medic.
The Moving Wall was originally scheduled to be in Solon last year as part of the 100th anniversary of the Stinocher Post. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to cancellation of the event while open dates this year allowed for rescheduling. The Wall belongs to Vietnam Combat Veterans, Ltd. a group formed by Vietnam veteran John Devitt after attending the 1982 dedication of the wall in Washington. Two sets travel the country from April through November, with each stop lasting about a week. From Solon the Moving Wall headed for Goldsboro, North Carolina.
A volunteer helps visitors find one of over 58,000 names inscribed upon The Moving Wall.