By News and Internal Communications

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – APRIL 18, 2023 – UTRGV and the City of Edinburg have partnered to host a 375-foot-long replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, to be on display April 20-23 at the Ebony Hills Golf Course.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) chose Edinburg as a stop on the 2023 national The Wall that Heals tour, which includes the replica wall and a mobile Education Center exhibit that tells the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall and the era surrounding the conflict.

The free exhibit is designed to put American experiences in Vietnam in a historical and cultural context.

The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be on display on the grounds of the at Ebony Hills Golf Course in Edinburg, 300 W. Palm Drive. The Wall and exhibit will be open 24 hours a day to the public.

The Wall honors the more than 3 million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War and bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.

Visitors will experience The Wall rising above them as they walk toward the apex, a key feature of the design of The Wall in Washington, D.C. In addition, visitors to the exhibit will be able to do name rubbings of the names of individual service members on The Wall.

The exhibit also will feature a photo display dedicated to “Hometown Heroes” – service members whose names are on The Wall who list their home of record within the area of a visit.

The 2023 national Wall That Heals tour is sponsored by USAA. Through a partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), the trucking industry, and Blue Beacon, the exhibit can travel across the country. Local sponsors are UTRGV and the City of Edinburg.

Since its debut in 1996, the exhibit has been on display in more than 700 communities in the United States, in addition to an April 1999 tour of the Four Provinces of Ireland and a visit to Canada in 2005. 

The Wall That Heals is a program of VVMF, the nonprofit organization that built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1982. The Wall That Heals is the only traveling exhibit affiliated with The Wall in Washington, D.C., and includes the largest Wall replica that travels the country. Two VVMF staff members lead volunteers on site, educate visitors and students, and ensure the reflective atmosphere of The Wall.

For event details, visit www.vvmf.org/event/The-Wall-That-Heals-Edinburg-TX/.

To volunteer for one or more three-hour shifts at the site, sign up at www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0948a5af2fa2fec16-thewall#/.