Bikers escort Vietnam memorial

Wall that Heals is up at Bethel Woods

By FRITZ MAYER

BETHEL, NY — About 100 motorcycle riders from the U.S. Military Veterans Motorcycle Club, Rolling Thunder, the Ironworkers Motorcycle Club 580 and the Blue Knights joined the New York State Police in escorting The Wall That Heals to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts on May 11.

The wall, which is a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, was later erected by volunteers and is scheduled to be open to the public 24 hours a day, with no admission, from May 13 at noon through May 17 at 6:00 a.m.

According to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, which oversees the wall, moving it to communities throughout the country “allows the souls enshrined on the memorial to exist, once more, among family and friends in the peace and comfort of familiar surroundings.”

The traveling exhibit also “allows the many thousands of veterans who have been unable to cope with the prospect of ‘facing the wall’ to find the strength and courage to do so within their own communities, thus allowing the healing process to begin.”

The Wall That Heals also features a museum that provides an educational component about the Vietnam War era. Since its dedication, the wall has visited more than 250 cities and towns throughout the nation, and has been seen by millions of people.

Along with the wall, Bethel Woods is also opening an exhibit in its own museum that ties into the Vietnam War. The work of legendary photojournalist Eddie Adams, who worked for various prominent publications, will be on display from May 13 through July 11.

Adams most memorable image was that of Nguyen Ngoc Loan, then national police chief of South Vietnam, firing a bullet at the head of a Vietcong prisoner standing at arm’s length on a street in Saigon, for which Adams won a Pulitzer prize.

According to Bethel Woods, Adams’ pictures were never exhibited formally in a show, and it is the first museum in the world to exhibit this collection, which includes 50 black-and-white images from Vietnam, including his highly influential images of the Vietnam boat people, which were presented to Congress and subsequently influenced the government’s decision to admit 200,000 South Vietnamese refugees to the United States.

The museum is offering free admission to U.S. military veterans, and U.S. military active duty, retired, and reserve troops with identification. Visit bethelwoodscenter.org for more information.