A patriotic piece of history will migrate through Hollister this
Fourth of July, and residents are being asked to donate their time
while it’s here.
A patriotic piece of history will migrate through Hollister this Fourth of July, and residents are being asked to donate their time while it’s here.
The Moving Wall is a smaller-sized, transportable replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
It is one of two walls that have traversed the country since the 1980s, stopping in towns so people can appreciate and remember the people who sacrificed their lives in Vietnam.
It will be in to Hollister from June 30 to July 5. The local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), in conjunction with the Hollister Independence Rally Committee (HIRC), has been working together for years to bring the wall to Hollister, said current VFW commander Charlie Scott.
Now that it’s coming, the organizations are calling on residents to help with the 24-hour-a-day manning the wall requires, Scott said.
“It will be heavily visited while it is here,” Scott said. “(Volunteers are needed) partly for security and partly to help the visitors.”
Locating names, taking rubbings and making sure there’s no damage to the wall will be part of the volunteers’ duties while at the wall.
Volunteers will be provided with the proper information to answers most visitors’ questions.
All 58,202 names are included on the wall, which sits in a V-shape when erected. At its highest point, the wall is more than six feet high and stretches out more than 250 feet.
It will be on display at the old Fremont School off of Fourth and Monterey streets.
Two Vietnam Veteran motorcycle clubs – San Jose and Freedom chapters – have volunteered to man the wall during the night, which will be lighted 24 hours a day by light towers donated by PG&E.
Several other companies will be donating materials for landscaping around the wall also.
Volunteer labor will be required on the morning of June 30 for setup and then through July 5 to help dismantle the wall.
Recent controversy over the fate of the Independence Rally will have no effect on the wall’s arrival, Scott said.
“We will still be here,” he said.
Anyone interested in volunteering is asked to either contact HIRC at 344 Fifth St. at (831) 634-0777, or VFW Post 9242 at (831) 637-6015, or at their offices on the second floor of the Veterans Memorial Building.
People can also call Scott at home at (831) 638-0928.
