Team Offutt leaders honor Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Museum

  • Published
  • By Ryan Hansen
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  Pride, honor, dignity, peace and tranquility.

Those are just a few of the words mentioned when it comes to the Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Museum that made a stop here at Memorial Park from May 29 - June 5.

The traveling wall is a half-scale replica of the actual Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. It stretches nearly 250 feet in length and is displayed at different locations around the country throughout the year.

Thanks to the Heroes of the Heartland Foundation, the wall made its way here and from across the region came family members, local dignitaries, elected officials and veterans to pay their respects to the more than 58,000 names that reside on it.

"We had people come from all over to visit the wall," said Paula Pogge, who organized the week-long visit.

"I spoke with a Vietnam veteran that came from Mason City, Iowa, with his family and this was his first visit to the wall," she said. "He stated that he felt he had to come, he was not sure why, but had a need to be here. There were veterans and families from all over the Midwest that said the same thing."

Leadership from Team Offutt was invited to participate in three different events that were held at the park as part of the festivities surrounding the visit by the wall.

As one of the keynote speakers on Memorial Day, May 30, Navy Vice Adm. Cecil Haney, U.S. Strategic Command deputy commander, talked about how we must never forget those who served their country and never came home.

"In the heart of spring surrounded by new life, we remember, we honor and we thank those who made the ultimate sacrifice," Admiral Haney said.

As the main speaker at a tribute ceremony on June 4, Col. William Jensen, 55th Wing vice commander, shared his thoughts about why the Vietnam wall is important.

"Why do we have this travelling wall, Memorial Park and other places like this," Colonel Jensen said. "It's so that we do not forget, so that we can teach honor to the next generation and so we can reflect on the sacrifice of our service personnel."

At the June 5 closing ceremony Col. Louis Zuccarello, Air Force Weather Agency vice commander, offered a tribute to all veterans and talked about how everyone has a connection to the wall.

"Whether it's a family member, friend, neighbor or fellow America, we all have a story about how this wall and the sacrifices behind it have affected our lives," Colonel Zuccarello said. "Without their service and sacrifice we would not have all the freedoms that we all enjoy today. It is our duty to continue to work to guarantee these freedoms for future Americans."

Together, these three leaders honored those who had served by simply paying their respects in their own way to The Walls that Heals, as it's also affectionately known.

"The Vietnam memorial is our past and needs remembered and honored while Team Offutt represents our present," Ms. Pogge said. "It is our duty as citizens of this great country to ensure that our newest veterans do not experience the discourse and hatred that the Vietnam veterans received upon returning home."

Also part of the closing ceremony was Senior Mater Sgt. Jimmy Weber, who's the Heartland of America Band's superintendent. He paid his own respects by offering a musical tribute that opened and closed the event.

"It was a privilege to perform "The Last Full Measure of Devotion" at the closing ceremony," he said. "The event was an opportunity for me to help honor the memory of the men and women who sacrificed their lives during that era.

"I thought the ceremony was a powerful tribute, not only to those who were lost in the war but to their loved ones who paid such a heavy price for our nation," he added.

After leaving Omaha, the Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Museum was displayed in Fort Carson, Colo., and will now be on display in Orange, Calf., from June 17-19.

"Having the wall here was a humbling experience," Ms. Pogge said. "I am honored to have been able to be a part of bringing the wall to Omaha and to have been able to help our veterans find some peace."