The Vietnam War was a very painful chapter in American history.

The long, drawn-out war took the lives of 58,220 very courageous U.S. service members.

We owe all of those who were killed in Vietnam and who are still with us today a huge debt of gratitude for all they sacrificed in the jungles, hills and rice paddies of that country.

As a debt of gratitude for all of those who were killed in Vietnam, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was erected in Washington, D.C. in 1982. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people, many of them family members, visit what is referred to as “the wall” to pay their respects to those honored there. Veterans from that war travel from all across the country each year to pay respects to their fallen comrades.

For those who have been there, it is a very powerful experience to see the rows and rows of names on the wall.

Not everyone can got to our nation’s capital though to visit the wall. So whenever there is a chance to see the wall in a nearby community people really should jump at the chance to go see it.

Several years ago, Bowling Green was lucky enough to display a scaled-down replica of the wall which thousands of people came out to view.

Now, Cave City is fortunate to learn they will soon also be displaying a scaled-down replica of their community in the coming months.

Volunteers are needed to get the site up and running when the replica arrives. The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, which is a 300-foot display of all the men who lost their lives in Vietnam, will be available for viewing Sept. 1-5 at the Cave City Convention Center. The wall will arrive Aug. 31 for set up and will depart Sept. 6.

This is really exciting news for Cave City and all surrounding areas to get to see a replica of the wall. 

It is estimated that the average attendance over a three-day period to view the wall will be around 5,000 to 6,000 people. There is even talk of a free concert at the replica by a military band.

People who come and visit this wall will truly be amazed to see how much it resembles the real wall in Washington.

Although the display is months out, it is certainly something to look forward to, especially for family members who lost sons and comrades and friends of those who were lost in that war who are unable to travel to our nation’s capital to pay their respects.