Vietnam War veterans inundated the Capitol south lawn Thursday to view the Vietnam War Memorial Moving Wall, a half-size replica of the permanent fixture in Washington, D.C., on which more than 52,000 names are engraved.
Hundreds of guests walked the stretch of the Moving Wall, touching the imprints and etching the names onto paper before an opening ceremony Thursday. They continued through the afternoon and into the night.
The wall, which will be in Jefferson City until Monday, serves as a reminder of the lives lost during the 22-year conflict.
Retired Army Col. Hugh Mills, a two-tour aero scout pilot in Vietnam and author of "Low Level Hell," served as the keynote speaker, offering statistics in hopes of impressing the war's significance upon the children and non-military guests in attendance. The numbers, he said, are an "indication of the sacrifices on this wall," and dedicated the majority of his 15-minute speech to that concept. In the Vietnam War, he said 47,359 were killed in direct action, including 1,418 from Missouri; 10,794 were killed by accident; 303,704 wounded; 75,000 severely disabled; 5,283 lost limbs; and 2,338 were missing in action (MIA).
Those figures turned personal for Mills in his conclusion. Of the names on the wall, 44 were his friends, 28 died under his command and 16 were members of his high school class in Little Rock.
During the wall's infancy in D.C., Mills said controversy surrounded it as "veterans did not openly and immediately accept it." When returning home from the war, many soldiers were not greeted warmly and were looked down upon for their service. Mills said opinions have since changed and the wall has been a source of remembrance.
"I think time has proven that this wall has been a great healing function for this country, and it allows families without all the means to travel to Washington to come and see the wall and have some degree of closure," Mills said.
In the Vietnam War, he added 766 endured captivity - one of whom was retired Army Col. John Clark, who was flying over North Vietnam in March 1967 when his plane started going down.
"Neither of the crew members in our lead aircraft, a flight of two, ever saw a parachute," Clark said at the ceremony. "It was only four seconds from the time I initiated ejection that my aircraft crashed into the side of a jungle bridge and made a huge fireball. It was only a few seconds later that my parachute and survival kit were scooped up by the village militia, which pursued me into a ditch and eventually captured me. There was no evidence that I ever existed anywhere other than that fireball."
After 3½ years as a POW, Clark was pronounced as MIA, presumed killed. Despite that title, Clark said his family, especially his younger sister, didn't lose hope he was still alive. He said the U.S. also "kept the faith." After six years as a POW, American soldiers brought him home, "sending numerous aircraft into harms way and expending valuable, national resources to impress upon the North Vietnamese that the war was not over until all of the POW were released."
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[]He told his story before the POW/MIA table ceremony was performed. These tables can be found in VFW posts across the country and stand as a symbol for those who were lost or captured like Clark.
"For our existing warriors who may face the threat now or in the future, it is imperative they have faith in their nation to remember them," Clark said. "And should they become captive of the evil from which they defend us, they will not be forgotten, nor their grieving and fearful families. Take for granted your warriors, forget them and fail to care for them and their families, and you will have no warriors and you will have no freedoms."
The Jefferson City Veterans Council brought the Moving Wall to Jefferson City, which council president and Vietnam veteran Don Hentges said was an honor. More than 1,000 students from across the state will visit the wall, he said, and volunteers are on hand to give tours and provide information. The wall last visited the city 10 years ago.
"Bringing the Moving Wall to Jefferson City is always a labor of love for me and an opportunity to than those who serve and continue to serve," he said.
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What do you have to say about the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall's visit to Jefferson City? Share your thoughts by writing a message on the News Tribune's Facebook page, in the comment section below this article, or by posting to Twitter with the hashtag #MOMovingWall.
Today's question: What would you say to the veterans of the Vietnam War today?
Check Sunday's newspaper for a look at the community's reaction.