See The Wall That Heals In Costa Mesa This April

NEWPORT BEACH-CORONA DEL MAR, CA - From Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund: The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial along with a mobile Education Center, is coming to on Balearic Park, Costa Mesa, also known as Estancia Park, at 1975 Balearic Drive, Costa Mesa, 92626. The exhibit will be open 24-hours a day from April 11 – April 14, closing at 3:00 p.m. As the site hosts, The Freedom Committee of Orange County will provide docents at The Wall throughout the event. The Honor Ceremony will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 13 with Maj. Gen William J. Mall, USAF, Vietnam Veteran, as the keynote speaker. The Closing Ceremony will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 14, with Sgt. Frank Orzio, USMC, Vietnam Veteran, Purple Heart, as the featured speaker. The event will include a fly-over and the customary playing of "Taps." The Wall That Heals honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed forces in the Vietnam War and it bears the names of the more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the most visited memorials in our nation’s capital, with more than 5.3 million visitors each year. However, many Americans have not been able to visit what has become known to many as “The Wall.” The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the organization that built The Wall in 1982, wants to give all veterans and their family members across America an opportunity to see the Memorial.

“VVMF is pleased to bring The Wall That Heals mobile exhibit to Costa Mesa to allow local veterans and their family members a chance to visit The Wall and honor and remember those who have served and sacrificed,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of VVMF. “We hope it provides an opportunity for healing and an educational experience for the whole community on the impact of the Vietnam War on America. “Nearly 400,000 people visited an all-new The Wall That Heals exhibit in 2018. Since its debut in 1996, the exhibit has been on display in more than 500 U.S. communities in addition to an April 1999 tour of the Four Provinces of Ireland and a visit to Canada in 2005. Hosting The Wall That Heals provides a community with a multi-day experience that includes an educational experience for local schools and organizations on the history of the Vietnam era and The Wall.

VVMF coordinates local stops of The Wall That Heals and the accompanying mobile Education Center. The current schedule and more information can be found at: www.thewallthatheals.org. The 2019 national The Wall That Heals tour is hauled through a partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and the trucking industry and generously sponsored by USAA. Local sponsors are The Freedom Committee of Orange County, Stanley W. Ekstrom Foundation, Dignity Memorial, CoreLogic, Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club, Costa Mesa Women's Club, TNT Fireworks, Allstage Pro, Newport Rib Company and Chick-fil-A.