Additional programming includes guided tours, a helicopter landing, a candlelight vigil, and wreath-laying ceremony. Visit monttwp.org/TheWallThatHeals for more information.
Norristown residents and first responders watched solemnly Tuesday as a truck containing The Wall That Heals, a three‑quarter‑scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, made its way through the county seat en route to an exhibit in Montgomery Tonwship.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Norristown Fire Department participated as dozens of motorcyclists escorted the semi truck along DeKalb Street. Ladders from two Norristown fire trucks held up an American flag at the intersection of DeKalb and Main streets. Attendees looked on as the processional stretched along the municipal thoroughfare.
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“The Norristown Fire Department was proud to honor the sacrifices and support our Vietnam veterans as The Wall That Heals traveled through our community,” Norristown Fire Chief Tom O’Donnell told The Times Herald.
The exhibition left the Valley Forge National Historical Park Visitor Center Tuesday morning en route to Windlestrae Park in Montgomery Township.
The Wall That Heals honors fallen military personnel with the names of 58,281 service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice and pays tribute to the more than 3 million Americans who served during the Vietnam War, according to event organizers.
”As a 27-year Army veteran and now a servant of this community, welcoming The Wall That Heals to our town was more than an event—it was a moment of reverence. This wall does not just reflect names; it reflects sacrifice, duty, and the enduring bond between a nation and its warriors. May its presence remind us all that freedom is never free—and that remembrance is a sacred civic duty,” said Norristown Municipal Administrator Leonard Lightner, a retired command sergeant major in the U.S. Army.
Volunteers and staff are expected to construct The Wall That Heals Wednesday morning at the park located at 1147 Kenas Road in North Wales. The exhibit will be unveiled Thursday and will remain open until 2 p.m. on Sunday.
“This event is about remembrance, education, and healing—for veterans and for all of us,” Montgomery Township Manager Carolyn McCreary said ahead of the event.
Additional programming includes guided tours, a helicopter landing, a candlelight vigil, and wreath-laying ceremony. Visit monttwp.org/TheWallThatHeals for more information.
