‘We want to say thank you to our Vietnam veterans and give them the homecoming they deserve’: The Wall That Heals stops in Marysville

MARYSVILLE - The Wall That Heals holds over 58,000 names of the brave soldiers in Vietnam who lost their lives or are missing in action. It currently is on display in Marysville, KS.

David Ohlde is a member of the Marysville American Legion Post #163 and he said the legion worked for three years to bring the wall to Marysville. Now, it’s finally here.

“We want to say thank you to our Vietnam veterans and give them the proper homecoming they deserve,” Ohlde said.

The wall is 3/4’s the size of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C., it's 375' long, and has visited over 700 cities, educating schools and citizens nationwide. Vic Muschler of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund explained the purpose of the wall.

“When they built the wall in Washington D.C., they realized not everyone is able to make it to see the memorial,” Muschler said. “So they decided we should go on the road with The Wall That Heals.”

The wall was brought to Marysville to honor those who gave their lives in the years of 1955-1975 in the jungles of Vietnam, as well as all who served. However, Marysville is honoring heroes of their own, including those who were never made it home.

“We have seven Marshall County members who didn’t make it back from the Vietnam War,”  Ohlde said. “And those that did, carry a lot of emotion with them, and this is a place of healing.”

Dean Seematter is Vietnam Vet from Frankfort, Kansas who was stationed at Firebase Airborne in central Vietnam. He explained what the wall means to a veteran such as himself.

“It’s quite a memorial for those who didn’t come back,” Seematter said. “We have to hope it continues to travel around the country so we don’t repeat history.”

Just under 3,000,000 Americans served in Vietnam and countless American citizens are grateful each and everyday. However, not everyone is able to make it D.C. to see the memorials themselves. Muschler said this is the purpose of The Wall That Heals.

“When we can find out or meet those individuals that feel they have had some kind of healing because of this, because they couldn’t get to D.C., that’s what this is all about,”

The wall is located in the ball fields behind the legion building and is open for viewing 24 hours a day and is on display until Sunday when it heads west to Colorado.