A nationwide attraction is coming to the Valley this summer to commemorate the lives lost in the Vietnam War.

The Warren Heritage Center and Trumbull Veterans Services are bringing "The Wall" to Warren in August, in conjunction with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. 

"The Wall" is a 3/4 scale replica of the Washington D.C. Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

It will sit in Packard Park in Warren from August 16-19. 

Officially called "The Wall that Heals," the replica and its accompanying Mobile Education Center will be open 24 hours a day starting August 16 after the 11 am opening ceremony.

The closing ceremony will take place at noon on August 19.

The traveling memorial is an option for veterans and their families who aren't able to make the trip to Washington D.C. to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which is one of the most visited memorials in the nation's capital.

This display is free to the public and honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War and bears the names of more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. 

The names of more than 100 Valley veterans join the thousands of names inscribed on the wall. 

Veterans Services will be reaching out to local school districts to get students involved in the project.

Warren will be the only Ohio stop out of 38 sites chosen for the VVMF 2018 National Tour. 

The 375-foot exhibit stands 7 ½ feet tall at its highest point and visitors will be able to make name rubbings of individual service members. 

Meanwhile, the 53-foot Mobile Education Center includes digital photo displays of "Hometown Heroes," area service members whose names are on "The Wall," the "In Memory" program honoring Vietnam Veterans who returned home and died as a result of their service and video displays that teach the history and impact of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Free on-site parking is available at Packard Music Hall on Mahoning Avenue.

The program schedule is listed below. 

  • Tuesday, August 14 at 2 p.m.: The Wall and local Honor Escort depart Quaker Steak & Lube, Austintown, Ohio and travels through downtown Warren (ETA 2:30 p.m.) to Packard Park.
  • Thursday, August 16 at 11 a.m.: Opening Ceremony with Welcome Home Dedication. *The Welcome Home Dedication will have Congressman Tim Ryan presenting Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pins to any living U.S. veteran in attendance who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, regardless of location, from November 1, 1955 - April 30, 1975. These individuals represent over 7 million living Vietnam veterans and 9 million families of those that served.
  • Saturday, August 18 at 7 p.m.: Women on the Wall and Purple Heart Events.
  • Sunday, August 19 at noon: Closing Ceremony with the Laying of the Roses and recognition of POW/MIA and Gold Star Families.