(Seguin) — A powerful symbol of service, dedication and gratitude is coming to Seguin this Veterans Day. The American Veteran’s Traveling Tribute (AVTT), featuring an 80-percent scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will make its first-ever visit to Seguin this Tuesday. The wall will be on display at the Smokey Joe Williams Field, located at the Seguin Events Complex.
The traveling wall’s visit is being presented by Seguin’s Doug Herrle Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 61 as part of a weeklong community tribute organized by the Guadalupe County Veterans Council. The DAV, which annually spearheads Seguin’s Veterans Day ceremonies, has spent months preparing for the historic visit.
That’s according to DAV Commander Marlin Howze, who says organizers are honored to pay tribute to all those who have fought for our nation’s freedoms over the past century.
“This is the American Veteran’s Traveling Tribute so in it is the Vietnam Wall as depicted in Washington D.C. This is an 80 percent replica of that same wall in Washington and the difference between that is in the American Veteran Traveling Tribute, there’s also tribute monuments to each of the major military action since WWII leading up to Afghanistan. So, this tribute is going to cover all of those areas as well,” said Howze.
The exhibit will officially open to the public on Tuesday, Nov.11, and remain open around the clock through Saturday, Nov. 15.
“We are going to have guides that can help people there with disabilities. If you need help to find a name or something, each of the organizations will have a day of service where they will be in charge of security and helping the public get to what they want to do. It will be open to the public from the 11th to the 15th. Sunday morning it departs – open 24/7. We’ve got security personnel arranged and will be there all through the night. So anytime you want to go look at it, it will be here. It will be open,” said Howze.
Howze says making the event special is the arrival of the exhibit in observance of Seguin’s Veterans Day celebration – a celebration that begins with the annual parade on Tuesday morning.
“Line up for the parade begins at 8 o’clock and then the parade starts at 9 a.m. It will be coming out of College (Street) going down Austin Street toward the Coliseum and we will join there. At 11 o’clock, we have a Veterans Day observance where we will have a guest speaker in the form of Major General Bob Parker, U.S. Air Force Retired and then following that, we will have the grand opening which will begin at around 12:10 p.m. over at Smokey Joe Field. Then at 12:30 p.m. we are going to have a military flyover consisting of fixed and rotary wing aircraft and that will be elements from the Texas Air National Guard,” said Howze.
Howze says Tuesday’s events will be marked with community contributions. He says ceremonies will include participation from all over.
“We encourage people to come out and enjoy it. We are doing this as a celebration of service by the military. We’ve got food trucks in line. The Seguin High School Mariachi Band is going to be out there playing for us. We’ve got the American Indian Color Guard that will be doing colors for us this year. There’s a lot of new and unique elements that are coming out and we invite people to come in here and check it out,” said Howze.
Standing alongside the wall will be the 5th annual Seguin Field of Honor, a local display that transforms a sea of flags into a field of gratitude. The Field of Honor, organized by the Seguin Field of Honor® Committee, is joining forces this year with the DAV and Guadalupe County Veterans Council to help support funding for the wall’s visit and to expand the scope of the community’s Veterans Day tribute.
Connie Ramirez, event chair for the Field of Honor Committee, says the opportunity to honor or remember someone with a flag is still available. She also notes that, to her knowledge, Seguin’s Field of Honor may be the only such display in the nation “to coincide with a visit by the Vietnam Wall replica.”
Each of the American flags will fly proudly on seven-and-a-half-foot flagstaffs from November 10 through November 15. For information on purchasing or dedicating a flag, or to learn more about sponsorship opportunities, visit the Seguin Field of Honor Facebook page or contact Ramirez at 830-243-2872.
According to officials with the American Veterans Traveling Tribute, the mission of the organization is to travel across the United States with the Traveling Vietnam Wall and Cost of Freedom Tribute – “ensuring that every veteran feels the respect and recognition they deserve.” Founded in 2005 by Army veteran LTC Don Allen (Ret.) and Air Force veteran Dr. Barb Allen, AVTT has visited more than 500 communities nationwide, helping Americans honor, respect, and remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.