The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall will be in Middleville until July 1, giving everyone a chance who wants to visit it.
The traveling wall, a 3/5 scale of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., stands six feet tall at the center and covers almost 300 feet from end to end.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR PHOTO GALLERY OF THE WALL
The wall was escorted to the village by fire engines, police cars and motorcyclists Wednesday evening and set up Thursday in time for the public to visit and the short dedication ceremony by Middleville President and veteran Charlie Pullen.
There was a color guard behind Pullen and an appreciative audience in front of him.
His voice shook a little during the dedication when he recalled losing three classmates and a cousin in Vietnam. “I have a final thought,” he said. “No veteran should live alone, no veteran should die alone and no veteran should ever be forgotten.”
Looking at the visitors at the wall, Pullen said he thought some veterans would wait till later when the crowd was gone to pay their respects to the veterans who died in Vietnam.
Held in the Thornapple Valley Church parking lot off State Street in the village, church volunteers offered cold water to the crowd. The event was sponsored by the Middleville Lions Club; member Jason Bushman publicly thanked the businesses and individuals in the community for coming together to help the Lions with the project.
