09/04/98

The Wall That Heals

Mark your calendars for an exceptional visitor to Oxford, Connecticut from September 10-13, 1998. Several Corporations, SNET and Northeast Utilities among them, are sponsoring a four-day exhibit of "The Wall That Heals," a traveling half-scale REPLICA of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Built of two 123 foot reflective black, powder-coated aluminum panels, the wall is laser-etched with each of the lost or missing servicemember's names. It travels across America to cities and towns great and small, speaking not only of the loss, but of the lives of 58,202 men and women.

The purpose of "The Wall That Heals" is threefold: to educate, to help those who lived through the war continue the healing process and to make it possible for those who may not have the resources to journey to Washington, D.C. to see it locally. Some may find the war legacy too painful to confront, particularly as strangers in an unfamiliar city.

"The Wall helped us find a home in our hearts for those who served in Vietnam," says Jan Scruggs, memorial founder and President of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, organizer of the tour. "Now we want to take the souls enshrined on the Memorial back to the places they called home, to exist among friends and family once more, in the comfort and peace of familiar surroundings." The Fund christened the Healing Wall in November of 1996. Since then it has traveled to more than 40 locations across the United States and has been witnessed by more than 500,000 people.

Oxford, situated south of Waterbury between Interstate 84 and Route 8, is the first community in Connecticut to host this specific exhibit, although there are other Wall replicas in circulation (like the one displayed in Bristol, CT in mid-August, 1998). The display in Oxford will be open 24 hours a day from September 10-13. Several special ceremonies are planned, which will culminate on Sunday, with a designated Connecticut Day at "The Wall That Heals." Governor Rowland, Senators Dodd and Lieberman and other state and local dignitaries have been invited to be on hand for the Sunday program dedicated to the 608 Connecticut citizens who lost their lives in the war.

Hundreds of volunteers have come forward to help prepare the site, handle crowds and promote this important event. For more information call: (888) HLG WALL or send fax inquiries to (203) 264-0515. Address written correspondence to the Oxford Parks and Recreation Commission, PO Box 502, Oxford, CT 06478

Travel Directions to Oxford, CT:

From I-84 East or West: Take Exit 16 to Route 188 South toward Oxford. Follow signs to Airport Road.

From Route 8: Exit 21 North or Exit 22 South to Route 67. Follow signs toward Oxford Airport.

From I-95: Take Exit 27A (in Bridgeport) to Route 8 North. Take Exit 21 North off of Route 8 to Route 67. Then follow signs toward the Oxford Airport.

There will be plenty of roadsigns posted to guide visitors.

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.