Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall
Replica of Vietnam War Memorial visits Westlake Village
By Sophia Fischer
sfischer@theacorn.com
source
A three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., spent six days at Pierce Bros. Valley Oaks Memorial Park.
From Sept. 4 through 7, it was open to the public around the clock. Hundreds of volunteers, taking 15-minute shifts each, read aloud the more than 58,000 names on the wall, including rank and military branch.
Friends and relatives of the soldiers, nurses and others killed or missing in action shared memories and sentiments, leaving mementos, flowers, photographs, poems and American flags at the base of the 8 foot high, 240 foot long memorial.
On Monday all of the mementos were placed in a time capsule and buried at Pierce Bros.
“You realize every one of those names was a person with a family and how many people were impacted by that death,” said Janet Robertson of Oak Park, who volunteered to read names along with her husband, Scott. “It’s very emotional to see what people left below and to know somebody visited the wall or that person.”
Vietnam veteran Mike Fujinaga wanted to pay homage to his buddies killed in the war that ran throughout the ’60s and early ’70s. For the Newbury Park resident, who’s never visited the permanent memorial, the traveling version offered him an opportunity to remember one friend in particular, Larry Gene “Leo” Leopoldino. The two friends were the only Hawaiians in their Army platoon. Leopoldino was killed by a sniper in 1969, three months into his tour of duty. A water bottle filled with flowers marked the spot below the panel bearing Leopoldino’s name.
“I have a few buddies on the wall who were killed in 1969,” Fujinaga said. “They’ll always be young.”
Westlake Village resident Patty Smith stood by panel 45 holding a pencil rubbing she’d made of the name of family friend Michael E. Constantine, who was killed in action. Overwhelmed by the sight of so many names, Smith had help from volunteers in finding Constantine’s name.
“Once you see the name you’re drawn to, it pops out at you,” said Smith, whose brothera Simi Valley resident, was a Marine in Vietnam.
Each name was marked with a symbol—a star signified killed in action, body recovered; a cross meant missing in action, body not recovered.
Eight women’s names are on the wall, seven Army nurses and an Air Force nurse; 16 chaplains’ names are listed, as is that of Daniel Bullock, believed to be the youngest American casualty of the war at age 15. Bullock forged his birth certificate and entered the Marines at age 14.
Volunteers were on hand to help visitors research names of fallen soldiers through a computerized system, as well as a thick book. Linda Mustion drove from Burbank to spend the weekend volunteering at the exhibit.
A military researcher and biographer, Mustion said the Vietnam War had particular meaning for her, having lost two classmates from the Burbank High School Class of 1967.
Members of Boy Scout Troop 754 of Newbury Park helped direct visitors. The boys camped out on Friday night with plans to do morning cleanup around the memorial.
“I didn’t really know that much about the war, but today I learned that it really was an important war,” said Boy Scout Christopher Fields, 12, who held a flashlight for nighttime visitors along with fellow scout Francesco Antinoro, 12.
The memorial arrived on Wed., Sept. 2, accompanied from Bakersfield by a motorcade of veterans and others that included 315 motorcycles. The reflective faux granite panels were assembled by U.S. Navy Seabees from Port Hueneme. Several hundred plants were donated by a local nursery, said Phyllis Grabot, co-chair of the event with Bonnie Quintanilla. A Purple Heart ceremony and a concert featuring patriotic songs were among the weekend events.
Sponsored by the Dignity Memorial Network, the replica was created in 1990 to honor the men and women of the U.S. military and to allow Americans nationwide to experience the exhibit. The monument has been in 200 cities, sponsored by a local Dignity Memorial provider, with support from local veterans and civic groups and businesses.
The monument will next be on display in Phoenix.
Dan Smith III and his wife, Gail, helped coordinate the exhibit. Smith, who is from Riverside, spent 196870 as a Marine in Vietnam. He said the names of many of his friends are on the wall.
“Vietnam was controversial from the start. The men and women who fought there were looked down upon, and a lot of Vietnam veterans are still suffering. All they did is follow orders,” Smith said.
“I don’t think we can ever do enough for those 58,000 names on the wall. It’s important to remember, reflect and heal.”
For more information, visit http://www.dignitymemorial.com/.
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