The Moving Wall™

The Moving Wall, a Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica, has been touring the USA since 1984. This healing wall has helped generations visualize and touch a loved ones name.

Comrades Forever.....

"The Moving Wall™" is the half-size replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial and has been touring the country for forty plus years! When John Devitt attended the 1982 dedication in Washington D.C., he felt the positive power of "The Wall." He vowed to share that experience with those who did not have the opportunity to go to Washington.

John, Norris Shears, Gerry Haver, and other Vietnam veteran volunteers built The Moving Wall™, as an exact replica of the original Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. It went on display for the first time in Tyler, Texas in October of 1984.

Two complete structures of The Moving Wall™ now travel the USA from April through November, spending about a week at each site.

This replica allows people who've never had a chance to get to Washington, DC to finally see a loved one's name. Visitors are able to find any name they desire, touch the Wall and do a "Rubbing" of the name that's etched in the Wall. Over the years that ability to preserve someone's name has always been a very somber, yet positive method of closure for friends and relatives alike.

The sheer size of this Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall is overwhelming for some. It's almost as long as a football field (252.8 feet). As you first enter the display area grounds it provides an immediate sense of just how large it is. It has over 58,000 names etched into the panels. There are 74 separate panels that make up this beautiful traveling wall.

The names are arranged in chronological order of their death, starting at the center of the panels. We always have volunteers available to walk with visitors as they start out on their journey to see a family or friend's name etched in the wall. If the person was an early casualty, they will need to walk to the center area of the entire display and that can be a very long and somber walk. Many of our volunteers are Vietnam War survivors, veterans and family members that just want to help others achieve some closure.

If you are interested in scheduling a date for The Moving Wall™ to come to your area, please go to our Sponsor Page to review all the details needed to have a successful visit of us to your community.

A Sponsor is any organization or group of individuals that wants The Moving Wall™ to visit their area and is willing to do the work to make the local arrangements as described in "Sponsor Information Packet." Sponsors are frequently civic groups, schools, or veterans' organizations. Sponsoring normally requires months of planning by dozens of local volunteers. 

We take great pride in displaying The Moving Wall replica.

We ask that any organization that has this event scheduled take the duties and ideas very seriously so when the time comes and visitors start arriving to view this healing wall of closure, they are able to do so without any problems or issues. You'll need lots of volunteers, organization and planning for this to be a success for your community. Please be sure to read and understand all the Tips, Techniques and planning that's needed for your organization to provide such an incredible event for your community.

Many times this occasion may be the first ever of it coming to a particular town or county. Letting folks know ahead of time is critical for your community of people. We know for a fact that people will travel several hundred miles to visit The Moving Wall - it has that strong an impact on people. Please be sure to promote and advertise the complete details several months in advance. We want your event to be a success for your organization and your community that is hosting this. Our "Sponsor Information" Tab has lots of important pages with a wealth of information for you. 

This event can be a once in a lifetime visit for some people - let's all do our best to be sure your visitors are accommodated professionally, respectfully and feel a sense of pride and closure when your event is over.

Wonderful Video about The Moving Wall in Nevada back in early 2024.
Also mentions John Devitt as the founder