★★★★★
Water Street
Plymouth, MA 02360
http://www.themovingwall.org/

moving-wall-in-plymouth-017.jpgToday, Tony, Kevin and I traveled to  Pilgrim Memorial State Park located on the water front of Plymouth Harbor to see the Vietnam Moving Memorial Wall. The Wall is temporarily located on the side of Plymouth Rock until Sunday, June 07, 2009. It is fully wheelchair accessible and a touching site to see.

moving-wall-in-plymouth-003.jpgThe Vietnam Moving Memorial Wall is a replica of the original  The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall USA in Washington DC but it is three times smaller in size. The panels of the wall are made of aluminum and painted black to look like the black granite of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  It is a lot thinner than the Vietnam Veterans Memorial but a very good replica. It has silk-screened names which look like the engravings of all of the names of the US Armed Forces of the Vietnam War who gave their lives or remain missing.

moving-wall-in-plymouth-007.jpgThe Vietnam Memorial Wall and the Vietnam Moving Memorial Wall are in HONOR of ALL the members of the U.S Armed Forces who served in the Vietnam War. The names of those who gave their lives and of those who remain missing are inscribed on the wall, in the order that they died or were reported as missing. It is so sad to see some of the boots and helmets of those soldiers who died for our country.

There are plenty of handicap parking spaces available in front of the Vietnam Moving Memorial Wall in a half circle parking lot. This parking is only for those who wish to view the Vietnam Moving Memorial Wall. Police officers are there to direct traffic. If you’re caught going to see another sight in Plymouth they will stop you.

moving-wall-in-plymouth-008.jpgTwo of my dad’s very good friends were killed in the line of duty in the Vietnam War. Sadly they died within seven days of each other. Their names were Gregory Kasper and Dennis Fries. I couldn’t find their names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall when I visited Washington DC in January or the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall in Middleborough last summer. This time I went to the Information Tent for assistance. 

moving-wall-in-plymouth-011.jpgThe volunteers in the Information Tent were very helpful in locating the exact place my dad’s friends names are engraved on this moving wall. They gave me a certificate with exact location of where their names are located on moving wall. They explained the names on the wall are according to the chronological date of their death.

moving-wall-in-plymouth-004.jpgWheeling along the carpeted path in front of the wall is very easy in a wheelchair. A sloped access to this path is located at either end. In the middle is a grassy area where chairs are set up for visitors to sit.

Once I found my dad’s friends names I traced the inscription of their printed names on the certificate. Their names were close together because they died within a week of each other. I plan on giving it to my dad in a Father’s Day card.

The exact location of  Gregory Kasper’s name is  27E - row 11.

moving-wall-in-plymouth-013.jpg  certificate-002.jpg moving-wall-in-plymouth-012.jpg 

The exact location of Dennis Fries’ name is  28E - row 74.

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The wall is a very sad reminder of all the brave soldiers who died in the Vietnam War including my dad’s two friends Gregory Kasper and Dennis Fries.

God Bless All Vietnam Veterans! I Hope One Day Our World Is Full Of Peace!!

I give the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall FIVE STARS for wheelchair accessibility. I give the soldiers who fought and died for this country FIVE STARS for courage and bravery.