THE MOVING WALL -- TOUCHING MEMORIAL TO LIVES LOST IN WAR by Pam North The original impressive Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. was designed by Maya Ying Lin, and was dedicated on November 13, 1982. When John Devitt attended its dedication, he had never felt the need for a parade or a memorial, and had even expected to dislike the Wall, having read some media hype describing it as a "black gash of shame." Instead, the Wall changed his life; he was profoundly moved and inspired by its overwhelming positive power. The unemployed veteran discovered a real sense of pride in his military service, and subsequently was launched into a new life mission. Wishing to share his feelings, he envisioned a unique concept: the creation of an exhibit highlighting the Wall, one which could be transported across the country to allow others who couldn't visit the original Wall to share the emotional catharsis evoked by it. Devitt allied with his friends, Norris Shears, Gerry Haver and other Vietnam veterans, intending at first to create a photo mural of the Wall, but when negatives proved unusable, they came up with an even better solution: a portable, half-size version of the wall itself. Devitt estimated it would take about $40,000, but even with the help of his friends they could come up with only a little over $2,500 of the financing, so they began to ask for assistance with raising the additional necessary funds. Their concept of a half-scale replica Wall tended to make prospective contributors envision miniatures and models which likely would not have the power of Maya Ying Lin's original full-size design. Devitt and his team had to actively work to overcome this difficulty of communicating their idea as they continued to seek contributions of materials and services (or at least obtaining discounted prices and fees if donations weren't forthcoming). The first Moving Wall was built of plexiglass, with each name silk-screened onto the panels. The photographic negatives of the names were made available by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the organization responsible for building the Memorial Wall. When new names are added to the Wall, they also are added to the Moving Wall at the end of its season. Evolving structurally in form, the Moving Wall later consisted of aluminum panels (half-scale replicas of the originals mounted to angular aluminum frames), with their surfaces painted with a two-part polyurethane, gloss black, mirror-like finish. This version toured for almost three years before it was decided to replace a portion of the weathered structure by 74 steel square tubular braces, the current touring version. While the material of the Moving Wall has changed, its impact remains the same. The Moving Wall was first displayed in October of 1984 in Tyler, Texas as part of the Tyler Rose Festival. The fifth panel had not yet been put into place when a woman placed a beautifully decorated candle at the base of the panel on which her son's name was inscribed. Other visitors also left mementos (as had occurred at the Wall in Washington D.C.), and Devitt made the decision to have them shipped to the Moving Wall's off-season home in San Jose, California. He hopes eventually to build a museum to display the items, but for now concentrates on making sure the Moving Wall travels to as many cities as possible. He estimates two to three million people visit the Wall in Washington D.C. annually, and that ten to twenty times that number are unable to make the trip to that city, so the Moving Wall fills that gap. Scheduling the route of the Moving Wall is a difficult job, and Devitt tries to be as objective as possible, traveling 10 months a year, hitting 23 to 28 cities. Sponsors pay his room and board, and he lives lean, keeping his life and mission close to the bone. Dates fill up quickly, almost a year in advance, and there are often schedule conflicts which unfortunately prevent visits to certain events and locations. Two structures of the Moving Wall now travel the United States from April through November, spending about a week at each site. In the almost-nineteen years that the portable 252-foot-long Moving Wall has been in existence, it has been visited by millions of people in over 860 locations in the United States, Guam and Saipan. While the costs involved have proved to be greater than expected, Devitt has been opposed to any kind of charge to visit the Moving Wall. A proposal to have local host committees form to sponsor the Moving Wall's visit has been an effective solution to defray costs. A sponsor can be any organization or group of individuals (civic groups, schools, veterans' organizations, etc.) that wants the Moving Wall to visit its local area, and that is willing to make the local arrangements, which normally requires months of planning. Visiting the Moving Wall has been described as a riveting visual experience that is difficult to articulate in words, and as the names come into focus, a subtle magnetism draws the viewer in, powerfully touching his emotions. Devitt believes that taking the memorial to the people has had the effect of establishing a connection between those who have previously felt no interest in or affinity to the Vietnam War. Seeing the Wall's list of names, representing Vietnam casualties from 1959 to 1975, changes their perspective, he claims, and brings to them the realization of the sacrifices made. Gilpin County resident, Randall Palmer, has been working with other local Vietnam veterans like himself (Mountain Veterans Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #7563, and American Legion #166) to procure a visit of the Moving Wall to our area. Their persistence and persuasive efforts over the last six years finally have made it a reality, and the memorial was assembled last Saturday on the east side of Highway 119, just south of the Gilpin County Library. A 26-foot trailer, with slots holding the aluminum panels in order, was unloaded in the 5-hour set-up, and on Sunday, June 22nd, at 1:00 p.m., the opening ceremony was held, with Palmer as emcee, and Air Force Major General Mason C. Whitney as speaker. The collection of panels will remain on-site through next Saturday (with the closing ceremony at 1:00 p.m.), and will provide an opportunity for all those who have never had the opportunity or finances to travel to Washington D.C. to have the stirring experience of viewing the unique memorial. The Moving Wall speaks for itself, a memorial to 58,228 individuals who died in service to their country, and also a tribute to those currently serving this nation.