May 01, 2024

Traveling Vietnam wall passing through Newton

Wall to be set up in Urbandale

By Jason W

The Wall That Heals is passing through Newton on Wednesday, though the traveling Vietnam veteran memorial won’t be set up until it is delivered to Living History Farms in Urbandale later that morning. The truck carrying the wall is set to arrive at Iowa Speedway at about 9 a.m., with a motorcade along Rusty Wallace Drive and west on Interstate 80 set to begin at about 10:15 a.m. (Submitted photo)

Jasper County residents won’t have a traveling Vietnam Veterans memorial wall set up in town this week, but they’ll have the chance to see it pass through town.

The traveling wall known as The Wall That Heals is a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington D.C. The replica is heading from Indiana to Living History Farms in Urbandale and will pass through Jasper County along Interstate 80 on Wednesday morning.

An organization called Team Welcome Home is organizing a motorcycle escort to bring the wall’s 18-wheeler from Jasper County to Urbandale. Riders will meet at Iowa Speedway at 9 a.m. and must sign a waiver of responsibility. The motorcade will leave the Speedway at 10:15 a.m. and the truck is due to arrive at Living History Farms at 11:30 a.m.

Veterans organizations are also attempting to decorate many of the county’s bridges over Interstate 80 with American flags.

The Wall That Heals is scheduled to be set up on the Living History Farms front lawn Wednesday through early Sunday afternoon.

There are plans to bring a Vietnam veterans wall of this type to Jasper County within the next 12 to 15 months. The last time The Wall That Heals stopped in Newton, in May 2013, a warm day for the set-up was followed by a late-spring snowstorm that affected how many residents came out to see it at Maytag Park.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com