The Wall That Heals Vietnam memorial coming to Brookings

BROOKINGS — The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. was controversial when it was unveiled — and like our nation’s experience with that war, has cycled through the public consciousness: At once brilliant, simple, complex, defiant, angry and sad. It is, most basically, a wall.

It rises from both ends toward the middle, and on the polished black marble are engraved, in rough chronological order, the names of the soldiers from the United States who died in the war in Vietnam.

That’s a staggeringly powerful idea on its own, and the one most folks take away from visiting it — the sheer scope of the names, 58,281 of them.

But if viewed from afar, or from high above, the wall also acts like a connecting feature among the other two most famous monuments in D.C. The east portion of the wall points directly toward the Washington Monument jutting up straight, the west portion points directly at the Lincoln Memorial where Abe remains forever seated.

With its ends pointed directly at two founding fathers, it rises in the middle and, when looked at from far enough away, resembles nothing except this — a slashing black scar in the loamy DC soil.

Stripped of some of that scene, though, the monument can become many different things, and this week we’ll see what it can become in Brookings.

Marketed as The Wall That Heals, a perfect three-quarters size recreation of the Vietnam Wall arrives in town this week.

The Wall, which will travel to 31 sites this year, is making its only stop in South Dakota — and its first in more than a decade — at the Fishback Soccer Complex this week.

City Parks and Recreation Director Kristin Zimmerman said the process to get The Wall That Heals here was lengthy and involved, but worth it to get the traveling monument here as we approach the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.

“I’m always looking for ways to fill our park spaces with different activities when they’re not being used,” Zimmerman said. “So it’s a great way to highlight our community and reach out to some of our community members who may not typically go into our parks, such as some of our veterans.”

“There was a series of interviews and an application, as well as a series of interviews, and then we had a series of trainings that we all went to, and we were among the top, if not the top location in the country,” Zimmerman said.

That work will benefit the entire region.

“We’ve already heard from groups from the Cities coming in, and we expect people throughout South Dakota to come,” she said.

Zimmerman said nearly 200 volunteers are signed up to help with chores ranging from helping set up the wall and tear it down to watching it overnight.

After the load-in, assembly will begin around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday and the memorial wall will be open to the public 24 hours a day from June 11 the 14th — this Thursday through Sunday, when teardown will begin at 2 p.m.

According to a release from the city, The Wall That Heals is the only traveling exhibit connected to the Washington, D.C., memorial and features the country’s largest mobile replica of The Wall.

Operated by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the t h ree - qua r ter-sca le exhibit stretches 375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at its tallest point. Visitors can walk along the rising panels toward the apex, mirroring the design of the Memorial in Washington, D.C., and also make name rubbings of individual service members.

The city is also doing a special lighting of the wall after sunset on Friday in honor of PTSD awareness month.

“I come from a military family, so my dad was a Vietnam vet,” Zimmerman said. “He would have been one of the ones who showed up in the middle of the night, to make sure the volunteers were still awake.”

As with the memorial in D.C., anything left at the wall will be collected by local veterans groups, Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman said she encouraged anyone who wants to volunteer to sign up — or contact her directly and they’ll find a spot. She said there are spots still available, especially in the overnight hours.

To sign up, go to www. cityofbrookings-sd. gov/TheWallThat HealsBrookings2026.

The early controversy surrounding the Wall in D.C. has not stopped it from becoming the most-visited memorial there. More than 5 million people visit it every year, and their reflections in the polished rock become part of the memorial, if only for a moment.

That’s testament to the brilliant idea Maya Lin designed in 1981 — at just 21 years old, while still a student at Yale.

And even though it was initially dismissed as an ugly scar in the nation’s capital, the wall has proven over time to be enduring. Scars are permanent, they are reminders — but they’re also proof of healing.

The Wall That Heals coming to Brookings gives locals a once-in-a-decade chance to make their own experience with the same idea.

The Wall That Heals Schedule of Events

Several special events will occur, starting Tuesday, June 9, with The Wall’s arrival. “Taps” will be performed at sunset June 11-13. Details can be found online at www.cityofbrookings-sd.gov/.

Guided Tours

Guided tours will be offered for all ages Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The tour times are 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m. One exception: The 9 a.m. tour will not be offered Thursday due to the Welcome Home Ceremony that will happen at that time.

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, June 10: Assembly of The Wall will start at 8:30 a.m. at Fishback Soccer Complex. Volunteers are welcome to help.

Thursday, June 11: 9 a.m. – A patriotic Welcome Home Ceremony will mark the official opening of The Wall.

Friday, June 12: Evening – A “Light the Night in Teal for PTSD Awareness Month” ceremony will take place. In the evening leading up to sunset, The Wall will be lit in teal, the official color for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Saturday, June 13: No special events.

Sunday, June 14: 1:30 p.m. — Closing ceremony to thank volunteers 1:58 p.m. — final performance of “Taps” 2 p.m. — Disassembly begins. Volunteers are welcome to help.