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Six days to honor and heal The Wall That Heals, a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, comes to Santa Fe
BY ROBERT NOTT
S
u
ome years back, Arturo Canales flew to Washington, D.C., to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. But before he could even approach the rolling blackgranite structure or rub his fingers across the carved names of the more than 58,000 Americans who perished in the war, Canales, a veteran of the conflict himself, was overcome with emotion. He hailed a cab to the airport and flew right back to Santa Fe. Ron Barela, another Vietnam veteran from Santa Fe, understands how Canales feels. The first time Barela went to the Wall he was so riddled with feelings of angst and sadness that he had to stop and sit down.
THE NEW MEXICAN
“I’ve since talked to vets who don’t want to see it. They’re afraid of what it will bring back,” he said. Such is the power of the Wall, a sobering tribute to the American servicemen and servicewomen who lost their lives in the conflict and the thousands who came home and were often forgotten. But many New Mexicans who served or lost loved ones in the war have never visited the memorial. They’ll have a chance of sorts next week when The Wall That Heals — a half-size replica of the actual Wall — arrives in Santa Fe for six days. It will be located at Fort Marcy Ballpark. Please see HEAL, Page 3
The women’s memorial
Honoring vets in Angel Fire
New Mexico’s fallen
Transporting the Wall
The struggle to recognize women’s experiences in Vietnam culminates in Santa Fe artist’s statue.
Now a state park, a memorial chapel near the village was the first major memorial to Vietnam veterans.
Photographs of the 398 New Mexicans killed in action during the Vietnam War.
Husband-and-wife team drives The Wall That Heals across the country, sharing emotion along the way.
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