A ceremony Saturday at the The Wall That Heals in Hilo drew a huge crowd of veterans, families, friends and people looking to honor the veterans — living and dead — of the Vietnam War.
Ben Fuata, an Army veteran and an active member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Hawaii, served as the master of ceremonies and revealed that his wife, Teresa Fuata, was key in bringing the wall to Hilo.
Inspired by her father’s induction ceremony into the IN-Memory program in Washington, D.C., Teresa Fuata envisioned bringing The Wall That Heals to Hawaii.
This became a reality through the collaborative efforts of the Hawaii County mayor’s office, the Department of Parks and Recreation, Hawaii County Council, and The Wall That Heals Hawaii County Committee, also known as Team Kapaia Ho‘ola.
“We picked Hawaii, we picked Hilo, because of the people,” said Tim Tetz, director of outreach for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. “We pick it because the people build a community unto themselves and bring in the city, county and all support necessary to bring us here.”
Over the first three days, The Wall That Heals — a three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that was assembled last week at Russell Carroll Mo‘oheau County Park — had over 11,000 visitors, many who traveled from around the state to remember and honor the service of approximately 3 million Americans who served in the war.
“The Wall That Heals is a replica meant to repeat the experience in D.C. We want it to match the sanctity, honor, silence and remembrance that comes with visiting,” Tetz said. “When you see someone cry, laugh or tell another story, we know we achieved that. The Wall That Heals brings us here, so several hundred children can come down and learn what it meant to serve in Vietnam.”
During his speech, Tetz told a story about two women who asked a volunteer on Friday to help them find the same name, mere minutes apart. One was the sister of the fallen solider and the other had been his girlfriend.
“They hadn’t seen each other since he was buried, and they were able to have that homecoming, that moment of reflection together,” Tetz said.
During the ceremony, Kumu Pualeilani Kamahoahoa, the Historical Cultural Director of Na Mea ‘Ike ‘Ia’s Royal Hawaiian Guard Youth Development, led a traditional blessing of the wall before the Royal Hawaiian Guard gave a drill sequence to the crowd.
Mayor Mitch Roth spoke and thanked everyone that had a hand in making The Wall That Heals a reality for over two years. Guest speaker, Major General Marcus S. Evans, Commander of the 25th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, spoke about Hawaii’s impact on the Vietnam War.
Vietnam veteran Alfred Lipphardt, the senior vice commander-in-chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, gave the keynote address where he reminded the crowd that those named on the wall are “not just soldiers, but warriors.”
An F-22 Missing Man formation flyover was executed by members of the 199th Fighter Squadron, 154th Air Wing of the Hawaii Air National Guard. A 21-gun salute and Honor Guard Volley by the American Legion Post 3 and the playing of ‘Taps’ by Vietnam veteran Ray Gandy closed the ceremony Saturday.
Vietnam veteran Jim Barker, who has also served as a clinical therapist for war trauma victims, said he was floored by the amount of support he’s heard about and witnessed at The Wall That Heals throughout the week.
“I’ve spoken to so many people this week that have no ties to the Vietnam War but have gone to the wall anyway, some going multiple times,” Barker said. “That is amazing to me and truly means so much to veterans, especially those who served in Vietnam.”
Today, The Wall That Heals will be disassembled and shipped to its next display site in Kahului, Maui, where it will stand from Wednesday, Feb. 7, to Tuesday, Feb. 13.
“I have seen (the spirit of aloha) every day through the people who come and greet us, hand us water and thank us for coming all the way here,” Tetz said. “This is the first time we’ve been to Hawaii, but I certainly hope it won’t be the last time.”
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.