APOPKA, Fla. — With Veterans Day on November 11, people will be paying tribute to those who risked and sacrificed their lives for our freedom. But people in Central Florida won’t have to go far to visit a Vietnam Veterans memorial.
- Traveling Vietnam Vet Memorial on display in Apopka
- Vet group said they want to give people a chance to see it
- Memorial open through November 11; open 24 hours/day
Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard created one of four traveling walls that visit cities across the nation to give people a chance to pay tribute to those killed in the Vietnam War – even if they can’t make it to the permanent memorial in Washington D.C.
“There’s so many people that are never going to get to Washington,” said Doc Russo, President of VVB.
Russo, who manages set-up for the traveling wall, says it also helps veterans who volunteer to set it up.
“This is better therapy than anything the VA could do for them, just working with it, coming out here to say hello to his buddies,” Russo said.
It helps Vietnam Veterans like Richard Seaman, who lives in Apopka. Seaman says he’s always wanted to visit the permanent memorial in D.C., but he may never get there.
“As you do walk by the wall and look at the names, and think about what it means, it’s a pretty heart-wrenching experience,” he said.
Russo says he started his work with the traveling memorial many years ago when he was a night watchman for it. He says the memories of war are too painful for some veterans to visit when many people are visiting it during the day.
“There’s a lot of guys at three o’clock in the morning, they’ll come out here,” said Russo.
The Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall will be on display at Kit Land Nelson Park in Apopka through Sunday, November 11. It will be open 24 hours a day. Crews are scheduled to dismantle it early Monday morning.