As the nation begins the yearlong recognition of the 50th anniversary of the close of the Vietnam War, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) has announced The Wall That Heals national tour schedule for 2023. The Wall That Heals exhibit includes a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial along with a mobile Education Center. The 28th season of The Wall That Heals will begin on March 16th, 2023, in San Luis Obispo, California and visit 31 communities during the year. The traveling exhibit honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in the Vietnam War and it bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
“March 29th of 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the removal of our combat troops from Vietnam. This milestone, and the 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War are prominent in the collective memory of our nation and our Vietnam veterans. We look forward to providing our host communities a healing experience for local veterans and their families and an educational experience for all visitors,” said Jim Knotts, President and CEO of VVMF. “Our ability to bring this exhibit throughout the nation to honor and remember all those who served in the Vietnam War is always important, but even more on these milestone anniversaries. Even fifty years later, this generation must never forget how much we appreciate their service today.”
More than 100 communities sought the opportunity to host The Wall That Heals in 2023. Many included proposals to recognize the 50th anniversary of the close of combat operations.
The Wall That Heals 2023 Tour dates include:
| San Louis Obispo, Calif. | March 16 – 19 |
| Hawaiian Gardens, Calif. | March 23 – 26 |
| Citrus Heights, Calif. | March 30 – April 2 |
| Menifee, Calif. | April 6 – 9 |
| Edinburg, Texas | April 20 – 23 |
| College Station, Texas | April 27 – 30 |
| Kyle, Texas | May 4 – 7 |
| Great Bend, Kansas | May 11 – 14 |
| Rhinelander, Wis. | May 18 – 21 |
| Mendota Heights, Minn. | May 26 – 29 |
| Crivitz, Wis. | June 1- 4 |
| Springfield, Mo. | June 8 – 11 |
| Kalispell, Mont. | June 22 – 25 |
| Meridian, Idaho | June 29 – July 2 |
| Eureka, Ill. | July 13 – 16 |
| Centerville, Ohio | July 27 – 30 |
| Chillicothe, Mo. | August 3 – 6 |
| Seymour, Ind. | August 10 – 13 |
| Middletown, Ind. | August 24 – 27 |
| Gibsonburg, Ohio | August 31 – September 3 |
| Sanford, Maine | September 7 – 10 |
| Auburn, N.Y. | September 14 – 17 |
| Kutztown, Pa. | September 21 – 24 |
| New York City, N.Y. | September 28 – October 1 |
| Lindenhurst, N.Y. | October 5 – 8 |
| Lemont Furnace, Pa. | October 12 – 15 |
| Caldwell, Ohio | October 19 – 22 |
| Phoenixville, Pa. | October 26 – 29 |
| Havelock, N.C. | November 2 – 5 |
| Spartanburg, S.C. | November 9 – 12 |
| Nags Head, N.C. | November 16 – 19 |
The Wall That Heals is generously sponsored by USAA. Through a partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), the trucking industry, and Blue Beacon, the exhibit is able to travel across the country. Hosts in each community provide for the location, volunteers, and preparations necessary to replicate the experience a visitor would have at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.
Since its debut in 1996, the exhibit has been on display in more than 700 U.S.
communities in addition to an April 1999 tour of the Four Provinces of Ireland and a visit to Canada in 2005. The Wall That Heals is a program of VVMF, the nonprofit organization that built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 1982. The Wall That Heals is the only traveling exhibit affiliated with The Wall in Washington, D.C. and includes the largest Wall replica that travels the country. Two VVMF staff members lead volunteers on site, educate visitors and students, and ensure the reflective atmosphere of The Wall. More information can be found here.
By Caitlin Gibson