Volunteers needed to assist setup for March event
The Osceola veterans community and the City of Kissimmee are leaning into their preparations for the only Central Florida appearance of the Vietnam “Wall That Heals” in March 2025.
In addition to the ¾-size exact replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., the “Wall That Heals” also has an onsite mobile education center. Once a specific Kissimmee website is up and running, schools, groups, and individuals can sign up for tours. Those interested in volunteering will also be able to get information at that site.
The first activity associated with the “Wall That Heals” will be a veteran motorcycle escort to bring the exhibit tractor-trailer into the City of Kissimmee on Tuesday, March 11 and ultimately to the exhibit site at the Kissimmee Gateway Airport. The exact route has not yet been determined; however at this time it is projected to start somewhere from U.S. 192 east of the city, through the downtown, and then out to the airport. Once an escort start point is determined, riders can register at that location, tentatively at 11 a.m. on that day.
The display setup will start on the morning of March 12 and requires at least 40 able-bodied volunteers to assist in setting up panels weighing up to 80 pounds. The expected completion time is 2 p.m. that afternoon. Once the exhibition is set up, The Wall That Heals will be open around the clock from March 13-16, providing the opportunity to visit during early morning and overnight hours when there will be fewer visitors.
All volunteers are asked to be available for training at 6 p.m. on March 12 at the Mobile Education Center on location and to be available for at least a six-hour shift for all volunteer duties. More than 300 volunteers are expected to be needed.
The Opening Ceremony will be at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 13. Details of the opening events are still in the planning phase. There will be a bugle TAPS ceremony at sunset each evening and at closing on the final day. The closing ceremony will be at 1:45 p.m. on Sunday the 16th and last 15 minutes, and the exhibit breakdown will begin immediately after, with at least 40 able-bodied needed people to assist.
Since the Vietnam War ended, thousands of Vietnam veterans have suffered due to Agent Orange exposure, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other illnesses as a result of their service. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation (VVMF), the organization that maintains the Memorial Wall in D.C., and the traveling Wall That Heals, believes all those who served in Vietnam should be honored and remembered for their service. The In-Memory program enables the families and friends of those who came home and later died the opportunity to have them be forever memorialized. There will be an In-Memory Ceremony on Friday, March 14, with a time to be determined. To include your loved one at the upcoming ceremony, apply no later than Feb. 2 at https://bit.ly/4jkns7S.
