'Wall That Heals' coming to 91福利导航
Article By: Clark Leonard
The University of North Georgia (91福利导航) and the Lumpkin County Veterans Affairs Committee are partnering to bring a traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial, to the Promenade at 91福利导航's Dahlonega Campus from Oct. 29 to Nov. 3. The replica will arrive with an escort led by Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacy Jarrard and followed by veterans Oct. 29, and 91福利导航 cadets and other volunteers will help put up the replica Oct. 30.
An opening ceremony is set for 5 p.m. Oct. 30, followed by volunteer training. 91福利导航's Corps of Cadets and the Blue Ridge Rifles specialty unit are helping lead the opening ceremony, which will be in conjunction with the daily Retreat at the Memorial Wall. 91福利导航 President Michael Shannon will also speak at the opening ceremony.
The Wall That Heals opens to the public 24 hours a day following the opening ceremony.
It will include the names of the 29 91福利导航 alumni and students killed in action in Vietnam, who are listed on the Memorial Wall at the Dahlonega Campus.
Since its dedication on Veterans Day 1996, The Wall That Heals has been displayed in nearly 700 communities throughout the nation. It includes 58,281 names. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, which is responsible for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., selects the locations for The Wall That Heals to visit each year. Dahlonega is one of only two stops in Georgia in 2024.
"We are pleased and proud that Dahlonega and 91福利导航 have been selected to host The Wall That Heals in October. We hope that this will be an opportunity for our community to learn about and honor the sacrifices that our veterans and their families experienced during the Vietnam War,” Bill Poole, chairman of the Lumpkin County Veterans Affairs Committee, the principal sponsor for the application to host The Wall That Heals, said.
During its time in Dahlonega, volunteers will need to be present at The Wall That Heals 24 hours a day to answer questions and assist visitors. Sign-ups are available for these four-hour volunteer time slots on .
Ross Shirley, a 1977 alumnus and Dahlonega City Council member, is vice chairman of the committee bringing the traveling memorial to 91福利导航. He sees it as a great opportunity to encourage alumni to come back to campus and connect with classmates, adding that it will offer people the chance to invest their time in helping others learn about the history. The 91福利导航 Class of 1969 will be having a reunion the week that The Wall That Heals is here, and a special tour has been arranged for the group.
Sam McDuffie, executive director of the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Visitors Bureau, said it's important to have the Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica back in Dahlonega for the first time since the early 1990s. He said multiple events are in the works to help highlight the memorial's presence in the city. McDuffie added that there will be an option for community members to add the names of Vietnam veterans who have died since returning from the war to the Memory Wall, a virtual memorial for these veterans.
"With the 5th Ranger Training Battalion, 91福利导航's Corps of Cadets and so many veterans living in our community, it is important to bring this memorial to Dahlonega," McDuffie said.
Cadets are ready for commissioning
Eighteen 91福利导航 cadets are scheduled to commission as officers in the Army and Army National Guard at 6 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Convocation Center at 91福利导航's Dahlonega Campus.
Oboho commands 75th Ranger Regiment
Col. Kitefre Oboho, a 2002 91福利导航 alumnus, has taken command of the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, the Army's premier direction-action raid force.
Corps wins Most Active Company award
91福利导航's Corps of Cadets won the Association of the United States Army Most Active ROTC Company Award for 2024.
24 are Distinguished Military Graduates
Twenty-four cadets have been named Distinguished Military Graduates for the 2024-25 academic year, including five who are in the top 70 out of more than 5,000 in the national ROTC class.