Arizona XX

A recent trip to Arizona led me to an actual visit by The Wall That Heals. This is the original version of what are now several replicas of The Wall that travel the country so that many folks who might never make it to DC can see The Wall, mourn their lost and pay tribute to all who served and all who were lost. I have seen a number of these in places where they were purchased after "retirement" and placed permanently by the local population. Some of these can be seen in Butte, Montana, Pensacola, Florida, Altoona, Pennsylvania and a few other places I have visited.

The Wall That Heals is sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the same people who built The Wall in DC.

The display of the nearly life-sized version of The Wall took place in Peoria which lies a bit north of Phoenix.

In a large field backed by a lake and some of Arizona's many mountains, The Wall That Heals is every bit as impressive as its Washington DC namesake.

I was here for a number of hours and the light was continually changing giving The Wall a different look at various times throughout the day.

People from all around searched for and found their loved ones names.

This scene was repeated over and over throughout the day.

Anyone who knows me will understand why I featured this guy. He is a vet and we spent a few moments talking.

I am going to switch up a little here. As you know, I would usually move on to another state from here, but there is more to tell from this visit, so next time, on the 18th, at 9:00am, rejoin me here in Peoria for more about this moving experience.

To see additional memorials from Arizona, or any other state, please click the state name on the left side of this page.