CALLAHAN, Fla. — Veterans hold a special place within the Northeast Florida and Callahan communities.
“We have a huge presence here, my family for sure is just full of veterans,” said Event Coordinator for the town of Hilliard, Alicia Head.
That’s why Thursday morning, dozens of veterans, law enforcement, and community volunteers escorted the traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall to its new temporary home at the Northeast Florida Fairgrounds in Callahan.
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The wall, a three-fifths scale model of the iconic monument in the nation’s capital, stretches approximately 300 feet.
The wall will stay in Callahan through Monday, honoring Vietnam veterans like retired Army member Ben Carl Youmans, who never received their “thank you for your service” decades ago.
“A lot of guys I knew got spit on, got called names. So this, in effect, is for the previous generation to honor now,” Youmans told Action News Jax Thursday morning. He said there are 58,281 men and eight women on that wall. “And now they’re getting that respect they really deserve.”
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The memorial wall also serves to honor those who never made it back from the war, while looking to educate the younger generation on a war and struggle Youmans feels has been sometimes forgotten.
“It means a lot for the younger people to recognize that military should not be forgotten in this country,” Youmans added.
Plenty of those younger people will be out here at the wall on scheduled school field trips Friday.
The Town of Hilliard celebrated the wall’s arrival, calling the escort “nothing short of powerful:
“The love and respect shown—every vehicle that pulled over on SR 200 and US 1, every person who stood with hand over heart or salute in place—was a reminder of the unity, pride, and reverence our small town holds for those who served. It was emotional. It was humbling. It was honor.
“So many hands showed up to help—volunteers who helped with the set-up, those who quietly decorated with care, and folks who just showed up to support in any way they could. Every single act mattered. You could feel the weight of what this wall represents in every detail.”
There will be a sunrise Easter service at the wall on Sunday at 7 a.m., with a closing ceremony at 8 p.m.
The wall will remain open for visiting 24/7 until it heads to a new destination.
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