Vietnam Wall Trip with a stop in Manchester

A replica of the Vietnam Wall is set to arrive in Manchester in September.

July 16, 2024 3:37 PM ET | Update July 16, 2024 3:40 PM ET

MANCHESTER, CT — A replica of the Vietnam Wall will arrive in Manchester in September and stay in town for nearly a week.

The “Wall That Heals” exhibit features a 3/4-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The replica is 375 feet long and 7.5 feet tall at its highest point. Visitors can see the wall rising above them as they walk to the top, a key design element of the memorial in the nation’s capital.

The wall will be erected near the water utility facility in Charter Oak Park. An opening ceremony is scheduled for September 19 at 11 a.m. and a closing ceremony is scheduled for September 22 at 1 p.m. It will be open 24 hours a day during that time.

The monument will arrive by truck with an escort of approximately 300 motorcycles starting on Interstate 91 in Enfield and ending in Manchester.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will bring the replica of the monument to 30 cities this year on a national tour, with an expected total of 300,000 visitors. Locally, the event is being presented by the city and the local Elks Club. Tom Topping, a Marine Corps veteran and local veterans advocate who is promoting the event, said the goal is to attract 40,000 visitors to Manchester.

“Maybe it’s because I’m from Manchester and the film is set in Manchester, but I think it’s a special opportunity,” Topping said. “It’s a great way to give veterans and their families a chance to experience what we’ve been through. I’ve worked with Disney for many years as an event manager, but this is the most emotional event I’ve ever been a part of.”

He said 14 Manchester residents died in the Vietnam War.

Like the original memorial, The Wall That Heals is built in a chevron shape and visitors can engrave the names of individual service members on it. The replica is made of Avonite, a synthetic granite, and its 140 numbered panels are supported by an aluminum frame. Machine engraving of more than 58,000 names and modern LED lighting make the Wall readable day and night.

As with the Vietnam Wall, the names on the Healing Wall are listed by day of death. Starting at the center/top, the names begin on the East Wall (right side) and move toward the end of that wing, starting again at the end of the West Wall (left side) and moving back toward the center/top, joining the beginning and end of the conflict at the center.

The event costs $120,000, and Topping said a major fundraiser will be launched soon to offset the costs. Donors can contact him at [email protected] or 860-327-1478.

Topping is no stranger to the Vietnam War era. He was a Marine from 1977 to 1981 and served in Japan, Norway and the United States. He also spent 90 days in Cuba.

It’s not just about the 14 men who died in the war, but also about their families, whether it’s the memory of their absence or their later deaths from a disease like Agent Orange. The Healing Wall is designed to do just that: give families a place to go that feels like Washington.

To learn more about the wall, click here.

Manchester has a permanent Vietnam Memorial at the top of Center Street.