A three-quarter replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will make its only appearance in the Pittsburgh area this year in Shaler.

The Wall That Heals and a mobile education center will be at Shaler Area High School over the Memorial Day weekend, May 22-26, as the cornerstone of the township’s 125th anniversary observances this year.

The last time it was in the Pittsburgh area was in 2019 in Indiana.

The wall will arrive in Shaler on May 21. The public can begin visiting it at 2 p.m. May 22.

A welcome home ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. May 23, and a candlelight ceremony for Agent Orange awareness will begin 30 minutes after sunset on May 24. The Memorial Day service will begin at 11:30 a.m. May 26, followed by a closing ceremony at 1:45 p.m. and the wall closing at 2 p.m.

While in Shaler, the wall will be on display around-the-clock, giving opportunities to visit early in the morning or overnight when there are fewer visitors.

Seeing the replica at night is recommended because of its LED lighting system, said Tim Tetz, director of outreach for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund in Arlington, Va. The fund was established in 1979 to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and still exists as a nonprofit to care for the wall and memorial site.

“It is just magical under those lights,” he said.

Shaler was one of 141 communities that applied to host the wall this year, Tetz said. It is among 30 that were chosen, from March into November.

The township talked about hosting the wall for two to three years, assistant township Manager Judy Kording said. The township applied in September.

“We thought that with the 125th anniversary celebration, it would be a fitting tribute to recognize the township’s milestone but also honor those that served in the Vietnam War,” she said. “Shaler Township is honored to host The Wall That Heals. We look forward to many visiting.”

The township has been working closely with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Mt. Royal Post 9199, where Army veteran Jennifer Rothwell is quartermaster and a member of the planning committee. The chance of getting the wall to come was considered “slim,” she said.

“A few from the VFW wrote letters about what it would mean to us to have the wall,” she said. “To our surprise, we got accepted.”

Rothwell met her husband, post Cmdr. Timothy Rothwell, in the Army. He served in Korea and Afghanistan; she served in Kosovo.

Of the post’s 1,000 total members, about 290 are veterans, quite a few of which served in Vietnam, she said.

“The Vietnam veterans really got the bad end of the stick,” she said. “When I came back from overseas, people were thanking me and shaking my hand and showing appreciation. I can’t imagine being a Vietnam veteran and people not showing you that you’re a hero.”

She is hoping the wall does what its name says — heals.

“We’re trying to make up for what was done to them in the past. Some of them are very open to it. Some of them appreciate the thank-you now,” she said. “Some of them are still very standoffish. It’s a hard wound to heal when your country doesn’t agree that you’re a hero. I’m hoping that this is the start for a lot of Vietnam veterans to heal in the area.”

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, commonly referred to as The Wall, was dedicated in Washington, D.C., in 1982. It is one of the most visited memorials, with an estimated 5.6 million visitors each year.

The Wall That Heals was unveiled as a half-scale replica in 1996. It was upgraded to three-quarter size in 2018 — 375 feet long and 7.5 feet high at its tallest point, made up of 140 panels of synthetic granite.

“It is the largest replica that travels around the country,” Tetz said.

Its name is the title of a book by Jan Craig Scruggs, an Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War and founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. He was president of the foundation until 2015, when he retired.

The fund created its own replica of the wall after seeing other traveling versions by for-profit organizations, none of which are associated with the memorial.

“We didn’t believe any of them were replicating the sanctity and educational nature that happens at the wall in Washington, D.C.,” Tetz said.

Since 1996, The Wall That Heals has been in more than 800 communities in 49 states and three countries.

“It allows for anyone who might not get a chance to come to Washington, D.C., the opportunity to come and learn about it,” Tetz said.

Name rubbings can be done at the replica as at the memorial. Guided tours will be provided.

“It is not uncommon for people to say they’ve been to the wall three or four times and say they didn’t learn as much as they learned here,” Tetz said. “There are very few guided tours at the wall. And when you come to D.C., you’re trying to jam in as much as you can. When it’s in your backyard, you can dedicate that 30 minutes to an hour and spend the time focusing on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.”

The 53-foot trailer that carries the wall turns into a museum. It will display the names and pictures of people from the area whose names are on the wall, and photos of those who died after returning from Vietnam. It also carries a collection of items left at the wall in D.C.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to get a better understanding of the history of the war, the background of those who served in it and some of the legacy of the memorial and how that has changed over the years,” Tetz said.

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