Original article by Connor Coar from 28/22 News (WBRE/WYOU)
STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall is set up in front of Stroudsburg High School to give people a chance to look at the replica model of the Washington D.C. monument.
The traveling wall is half the size of the original monument, but it still contains all 58,318 names who died during the Vietnam War in the mid-1900s.
Vietnam veterans from Pocono Chapter 678 of the Vietnam Veterans of America organization have been working since November to bring the replica to the Poconos.
Volunteers, including members of Habitat for Humanity, Stroudsburg High School, and East Stroudsburg University’s football programs, brought the replica to life early Thursday.
Vietnam veterans 28/22 News spoke with say the wall is not only for the people who lost their loved ones during the war, but also as a reminder for younger generations about what the generations prior did for them to protect freedoms, they have today.
“It became our own personal hell until we found out there’s a lot more veterans out there to share the same experience,” Patrick Conway, President of the Pocono Chapter 678 said. “That’s the purpose of the wall. That’s why it was made. That’s why it’s still touring today.”
The opening ceremony will be held on Friday, July 10, at 6:00 p.m., and the closing ceremony will take place Sunday, July 12, at sunset in front of Stroudsburg High School.