The Moving Wall Has Arrived in Morris County

Published on July 07, 2022

Assembly Complete, Public May Visit Anytime

The Moving Wall, the half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., arrived shortly after 11 a.m. on the campus of the County College of Morris, where assembly began almost immediately and was finished by early afternoon.

The Moving Wall will be on display near Parking Lot 1 on the campus, off Center Grove Road in Randolph, until July 11.

“It’s finally here. Hard to believe, but it’s here,” said William Menzel of VFW Post 7333, which sponsored The Wall visit and planned for the arrival for several months.

See The Moving Wall Schedule of Events

The Wall was delivered by truck, with a motorcade led by Warriors Watch Riders and area law enforcement agencies. Assembly is being done by dozens of volunteers, including area veterans, workers who travel with The Wall and workers with Home Depot.

The Wall is one of two traveling versions of the Vietnam Memorial that have been brought to various locations throughout the nation since 1984, when the idea of a Moving Wall began. The goal is to provide an opportunity for people who cannot get to Washington, D.C. to view the main memorial, to have a local opportunity to say a prayer and view names of American soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for this national during the conflict.

In attendance for The Wall arrival today were various veterans organizations, State Sen. Anthony Bucco, CCM President Anthony Iacono and his staff, members of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office and representatives of Randolph Township and the Morris County Board of County Commissioners, all of which provided assistance to VFW Post 7333.

Bringing The Wall to Morris County has been an entirely volunteer effort financed by donations.

The idea of bringing The Wall to Morris County began with a conversation between Sen. Bucco and Vietnam Veteran Emerson Crooks, a member of VFW Post 7333, which has more than 60 members, many of whom are Vietnam Veterans.

The wall may be viewed by the public as soon as it is assembled today.  However, ceremonies begin tomorrow, Friday, July 8, at 11 a.m. with proclamations from Randolph Township and federal representatives. The Grand Opening takes place Saturday with a prayer, followed by wreath-laying ceremonies involving a dozen organizations.

VFW 7333 is providing sheets of paper and crayons between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. each day for anyone interested in making a “rubbing” of names on The Wall.

On Sunday, July 10, the daily ceremony starts at 2 p.m.

There are 58,281 names listed on the Vietnam Memorial and The Moving Wall. The names of the fallen are arranged in the order in which they lost their lives. The largest age group – 33,103 – were 18 years old. There are 1,563 names from New Jersey and 69 from Morris County.

Photos:

Top - Panoramic view of the Moving Wall after assembly on the campus of CCM.

Center Left:  Motorcycle patrols from various police agencies led the motorcade escorting The Wall to campus. Included in the motorcade were members of Warriors Watch Riders.

Center Right: Volunteers assembled The Wall quickly after its arrival.

Bottom Left:  Key members of the team responsible for bringing The Wall to Morris County (l-r): CCM President Anthony Iacono, William Menzel of VFW 7333 in Randolph, Frank Arminio of Chapter 327 of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Emerson Crooks of VFW 7333 and State Sen. Anthony Bucco.