SPOKANE, Wash. — A traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. is in Spokane this week at the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex.
The Wall That Heals holds over 58,000 names of service members who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War.
Floyd Kelly, an 83-year-old Vietnam veteran who did two tours in Vietnam, visited the memorial.
“I rode riverboats for 700 days, and I made 500 patrols,” Kelly said.
His wife Jackie said, “He has a lot of stories, and I enjoy listening to them.”
When Kelly finally returned home in 1971, he was not greeted with open arms.
“We landed at the John Wayne airport in the county. And when we got off they told us if we any civilian clothes get them on. Head for leave home and don’t talk about what you’re seeing or where you been. And that’s what we did because we weren’t welcome,” Kelly said.
Now, 50 years later, that has changed. The traveling memorial and the many people who came out to pay their respects is a testament to that change.
“I’m 83 years old, and, I enjoy seeing this. I enjoy the turnout,” Kelly said.
Kelly and his wife Jackie have seen this wall several times.
“I took the honor flight before to see the wall in D.C.. And, it’s quite emotional to me,” Kelly said.
Those emotions are shared across generations of veterans. Adam Cole, an Iraq veteran, also visited the memorial.
“I’ve never met them, but they’re family. Once you served in that environment and dealt with the war time of that nature, there’s no other bond,” Cole said.
For Kelly, other Vietnam veterans who stopped by the memorial, and the names carved into the stone, this wall gives them some of the thank you and welcome home they deserve.
The Wall That Heals will be open and free to the public until Sunday afternoon. There will be a closing ceremony at the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex at 1:45 p.m. before the monument is packed up for its next appearance in Ellensburg.
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
