The 250-foot replica of The Wall bears more than 58,000 names of men and women who died in Vietnam.

Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be in Burnsville October 12-15, 2017.

The traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial comes to Burnsville Oct. 12-15, The Wall replica and mobile education center honor the soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War and their families It will be open to visitors 24 hours a day at the baseball field at Mountain Heritage High School.

The 250-foot replica of The Wall in Washington, D.C., managed by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, bears more than 58,000 names of the men and women who died in Vietnam. Since its debut in 1996, the traveling exhibit has been on display in nearly 500 communities throughout the country as well as Ireland and Canada. The Wall will travel to 38 cities and towns in 2017, with Burnsville as the only NC location this year.

“This exhibit is about our veterans, about people who sacrificed and did what America asked of them,” says Dr. Tony Tipton, superintendent of Yancey County Schools, a sponsor of The Wall’s visit. “As a history teacher, you can talk about war and sacrifice and responsibility, but this gives students a chance to step back and see the impact it has on some of our veterans and see it through their eyes.”

The mobile education center, which travels with The Wall, includes photos of service members whose names are on The Wall and memorabilia left at The Wall in Washington, D.C. During the four-day exhibition, students in Yancey, Avery, Madison, and Mitchell county schools, as well as Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, are scheduled to visit.

It’s a wonderful educational opportunity that can really bind the community together,” says Taube Roy, a JROTC teacher at Mountain Heritage High School and an Army veteran who has assisted in coordinating The Wall’s visit.

Memorial services will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. for Vietnam veterans killed or missing in action from Yancey, Madison, Avery, and Mitchell counties.

The Wall That Heals will be open to the public beginning with the opening ceremony Thursday, Oct. 12, at 8 a.m. and continuing through Sunday, Oct. 15, at 3 p.m. Admission is free.