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May 23, 2024

The Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., was escorted by motorcyclists across multiple towns including Huntley
Photo provided.
The Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., was escorted by motorcyclists across multiple towns including Huntley

Features, News • May 23, 2024

Replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial escorted by motorcycles across multiple municipalities including Huntley

By

HUNTLEY — At approximately 3:45 p.m. on May 22, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in Washington D.C. was escorted by a motorcycle brigade across multiple municipalities to its destination in West Dundee.

The replica, named “The Wall That Heals,” began its procession journey at the Harley-Davidson dealership located at 2235 S Eastwood Drive in Woodstock. According to a press release from the Huntley Police Department, the escort traveled south on Route 47 before turning east onto Algonquin Road.

During the timeframe that the escort was in the village, the Huntley Police Department stated that they anticipated shutting down certain intersections to “facilitate the safety of the procession and high volume of motorcyclists’ travel,” through Huntley.

The intersections that were impacted within Huntley included Route 47 and Reed Road, Route 47 and Algonquin Road, Algonquin Road and Ruth Road, and Algonquin Road and Haligus Road.

Besides Huntley, “The Wall” also made its way through Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Carpentersville, and East and West Dundee.

The replica memorial wall’s final destination was at the Randall Oaks Park located at 1180 N Randall Road in West Dundee. The Vietnam Veterans replica wall was escorted through downtown West Dundee, where residents were invited to line up on Main Street to welcome the motorcyclists and the 53-foot trailer that transported the memorial.

Setup of “The Wall” is expected to begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. on May 23. There will also be a mobile Education Center onsite for individuals to visit once the display is open.

The Dundee Township Park District states that “The Wall” will be on display to the public from May 24 through May 27. The memorial will be open 24 hours a day and is free for anyone to visit.

“The presence of ‘The Wall That Heals’ serves as a powerful memorial for the members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served and died in the Vietnam War, and it is an honor for our community to host this traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,” said the Dundee Township Park District on its Facebook page.

There will be a “Welcome Home Ceremony” hosted at “The Wall” on May 24 at 7 p.m., according to the memorial’s 2024 tour schedule. Additional ceremonies at the memorial will include a “Medal of Honor Ceremony” at 2 p.m. on May 25, and an “Honoring Nurses Ceremony” at 2 p.m. on May 26.

“The Wall That Heals” debuted in 1996 and has been on display in more than 700 U.S. communities in addition to an April 1999 tour of the Four Provinces of Ireland and a visit to Canada in 2005. The memorial replica tour is a program started by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), a nonprofit organization that built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. back in 1982.