Half-Scale Replica of Vietnam Memorial on Exhibit

A half-scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall is on exhibit in Hawthorne this week for visitors to commemorate the servicemen and servicewomen who died in the Vietnam War.

Since its dedication 14 years ago, the Memorial Wall has become the most visited monument in Washington, D.C. The Moving Wall is a smaller version of the V-shaped black granite wall in Washington and bears 58,175 names. The black-aluminum replica travels around the nation so that those who can’t make it to Washington can still commemorate those who lost their lives in the war.

“Not only does the Moving Wall offer a chance at healing the wounds of war,� said Alex Alonzo, chairman of TRW Space & Electronics Vietnam Era Veterans Steering Committee, which coordinated the exhibit viewing, “it serves as a tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for their country.�

Bringing the exhibit to the South Bay was a joint effort by TRW, the city of Hawthorne and Southern California Edison. It is the ninth year that the wall, 150 feet long, has been brought to the city.

During an opening ceremony Monday, veterans spoke about what the wall symbolized to them.

“I am so grateful that wall is moved around for people to see,� said Col. Ronald B. Flynn of the Army National Guard. “The wall is our memory, it is our country’s memorial to the people who perished in that war.�

Volunteers from the TRW’s Veterans Committee are guarding the exhibit around the clock and are available to help locate the names of loved ones, as well as provide paper for visitors to make rubbings of names on the exhibit. An on-site computer can be used to search for names of service members by name, service or year of death.

The Moving Wall will be on display through Saturday at the Edison Substation Park in Hawthorne on Marine Avenue between Aviation Boulevard and Redondo Beach Avenue. It is on display 24 hours a day.