'Wall That Heals' coming to UNG

The University of North Georgia (UNG) and the Lumpkin County Veterans Affairs Committee are partnering to bring "The Wall That Heals," a traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial, to the Promenade at UNG's Dahlonega Campus from Oct. 29 to Nov. 3. The replica will arrive with an escort led by Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacy Jarrard and followed by veterans Oct. 29, and UNG cadets and other volunteers will help put up the replica Oct. 30.

An opening ceremony is set for 5 p.m. Oct. 30, followed by volunteer training. UNG's Corps of Cadets and the Blue Ridge Rifles specialty unit are helping lead the opening ceremony, which will be in conjunction with the daily Retreat at the Memorial Wall. UNG President Michael Shannon will also speak at the opening ceremony.

The Wall That Heals opens to the public 24 hours a day following the opening ceremony.

It will include the names of the 28 UNG alumni and students killed in action in Vietnam, who are listed on the Memorial Wall at the Dahlonega Campus.

Since its dedication on Veterans Day 1996, The Wall That Heals has been displayed in nearly 700 communities throughout the nation. It includes 58,281 names. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, which is responsible for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., selects the locations for The Wall That Heals to visit each year. Dahlonega is one of only two stops in Georgia in 2024.

"We are pleased and proud that Dahlonega and UNG have been selected to host The Wall That Heals in October. We hope that this will be an opportunity for our community to learn about and honor the sacrifices that our veterans and their families experienced during the Vietnam War,” Bill Poole, chairman of the Lumpkin County Veterans Affairs Committee, the principal sponsor for the application to host The Wall That Heals, said.

During its time in Dahlonega, volunteers will need to be present at The Wall That Heals 24 hours a day to answer questions and assist visitors. Sign-ups are available for these four-hour volunteer time slots on The Wall That Heals Dahlonega-Lumpkin County webpage.

Ross Shirley, a 1977 alumnus and Dahlonega City Council member, is vice chairman of the committee bringing the traveling memorial to UNG. He sees it as a great opportunity to encourage alumni to come back to campus and connect with classmates, adding that it will offer people the chance to invest their time in helping others learn about the history. The UNG Class of 1969 will be having a reunion the week that The Wall That Heals is here, and a special tour has been arranged for the group.

Sam McDuffie, executive director of the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Visitors Bureau, said it's important to have the Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica back in Dahlonega for the first time since the early 1990s. He said multiple events are in the works to help highlight the memorial's presence in the city. McDuffie added that there will be an option for community members to add the names of Vietnam veterans who have died since returning from the war to the Memory Wall, a virtual memorial for these veterans.

"With the 5th Ranger Training Battalion, UNG's Corps of Cadets and so many veterans living in our community, it is important to bring this memorial to Dahlonega," McDuffie said.