MITCH TRAPHAGEN PHOTOS
Hallowed ground came to Tampa last weekend in the form of a 300 foot, three-fifths scale monument honoring 58,307 veterans who gave their lives in Vietnam. The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall was in place at Veterans Memorial Park on U.S. 301 N. in Tampa beginning Thursday and ending on Sunday. There was no admission charge to visit the wall, nor the events surrounding its visit. Volunteers were on hand during the day to answer questions, along with a tent for finding names and for making rubbings of names from the wall. During its stay in Tampa, the wall was never alone — veteran groups and other volunteers remained even during the overnight hours. The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall in Tampa was sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution, Colonel George Mercer Brooke Chapter, Sun City Center. The wall is from the Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard organization. For more information, visit www.travelingwall.us. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, upon which the Traveling Wall is based, is located on a two-acre site adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Chaplain Mary Ellen Harlan of Sun City Center served as a volunteer last weekend.
