WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange will pay tribute to veterans who lost their lives during the Vietnam War when the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall comes to town this Independence Day weekend.
The traveling wall is a three-fifth-scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. It stands 6-feet tall at the center and covers almost 300 feet from end to end. The wall contains more than 58,000 names of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, including six service members from West Orange.
“The wall is a testament to the bravery of those from West Orange and communities just like it, who sacrificed for our freedoms,” Mayor Robert Parisi said. “We’re proud to have the honor of hosting this memorial in our township.”
The memorial will be on display from July 1 through 4 at West Orange High School’s Suriano Stadium, 51 Conforti Ave. An opening ceremony will be July 1 at 9 a.m. From then, the wall can be viewed by the public for free from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. until the closing ceremony on July 4 from 2 to 3 p.m.
The traveling wall’s West Orange debut has received support from various military and veteran service organizations statewide. Veterans and their family members are expected to travel from across New Jersey and other nearby states to visit the wall, which tours the country, but will only make one Garden State stop this year. The memorial will make its entrance into West Orange on June 30 with a motorcade that includes dozens of veteran service organizations, motorcycle and law enforcement and firefighter escorts. In addition, veterans also plan to line state highways with VFW and American flags.
The motorcade will arrive via Exit 7 on I-280, travel North on Pleasant Valley Way and enter the field at West Orange High School from Alisa Drive.
For more information about the event, contact Shari Quirk at squirk@westorange.org or call the mayor’s office at 973-325-4100.
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