When Tom and Dee Twigg created their first portable Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, they didn't expect that more than a decade later, they'd be traveling around the country with it.
"I had no idea we'd be here," said Tom Twigg, a Vietnam veteran who lives in St. Cloud.
Several walls later, the Twiggs are on tour across the country, with their most recent stop bringing them to DeVry University's Miramar campus.
"It's a good way of bringing something historical alive," said Joshua Padron, president of DeVry's South Florida campuses.
The traveling memorial got its start in Thanksgiving 1994 when Dee Twigg created a table display to honor soldiers who were listed as missing or prisoners of war. It was then that she met a woman with failing health who wanted to leave behind a Bronze Star and Purple Heart that belonged to her son. The woman said she didn't expect to be able to make it to Washington, D.C., to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, so Dee Twigg decided to build her own wall within a year.
"So many people can't visit the wall, financially and physically," Dee Twigg said. "A lot of people aren't going to get there."
The current wall is made up of multiple panels that when stretched out reach 46 feet. It is a replica of the Washington memorial and features all 58,175 names of American soldiers killed during the war. The multiple panels allow for the wall to be displayed in several configurations, depending on the venue.
While traveling across the country, the Twiggs became involved with DeVry and have stopped in at multiple campuses. Aside from stops in Arizona and Colorado, the memorial also has been on display at Florida campuses in Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville.
To Tom Twigg, the traveling wall gives veterans the chance to honor their comrades in a way they might not otherwise be able to. One of their frequent stops is at Veterans Administration hospitals, where the wall is set up for disabled vets. But Twigg said the wall also is meant to provide a venue for vets who have emotional trouble visiting the wall in Washington. Twigg avoided the wall in Washington for many years but decided it was time to make the trip and see in person the names of his friends.
To read the full article written by Chris Guanche and featured in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, please click here.
