On this last weekend of July, there was a very special reason to visit Chattanooga’s waterfront: “The Moving Wall” is the half-size replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial and has been touring the country for more than thirty years. When John Devitt attended the 1982 dedication in Washington, he felt the positive power of “The Wall.” He vowed to share that experience with those who did not have the opportunity to go to Washington.
Retired US Navy Capt. Mickey McCamish has led the local efforts to bring the Moving Wall to Ross’s Landing in Chattanooga. As he was helping set up the wall, he reflected. “I served in Vietnam from 1967 until 1969,” McCamish said. “This wall brings back a lot of memories, it takes me right back to the DMZ South, with shipmates, friends, college friends, some of whom are no longer with us, and some of whom are on this wall.”
All 58,306 names of service members who died in the Vietnam war are on this wall, just as they are in Washington. “We’re proud to bring the wall to Chattanooga,” McCamish said. “We’ve heard from so many veterans and their families. They want to come, they need to come. They need healing, they need closure.”
The Wall represents a Vietnam Veteran’s tribute to his fallen comrades. It is 252.83 feet long and is the only replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Those killed came from all across the country. This is a special visit by The Wall since 2016 is the 50th Anniversary of the Commemoration of the Vietnam War.
“We were truly blessed to have this in Chattanooga, even for one weekend,” McCamish said. Their schedule stays full. We first made our request two years ago, and there have been lots of follow-up contacts just to keep our place in line.”
McCamish expected the crowds to top the 21,000 who visited the LST 325 World War II vessel in September 2014.
There were directories on site to help locate names on the 74 panels that are a part of the replica wall.
McCamish said, “It’s been almost fifty years, and younger people especially need to know, they need to understand what this was about. They need to know the impact this had on our nation and on our veterans. They need to know about the lives that were lost. This was a controversial and unpopular war among many Americans, and some of them turned their back on those of us who returned. But we never turned our back on America, believe me.”
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