Linda Siscel- Ritzer said the opening ceremony for The Wall that Heals was the most heartfelt ceremony she had experienced besides the funeral for her son, Marine Corp Lance Corporal Kevin Ray Siscel.
The ceremony was an introduction for the display of The Wall That Heals, a traveling Vietnam memorial, the Global War on Terror Wall of Remembrance and The Honor Wall, at the Westside Public Library.
One portion of the ceremony which touched Ritzer specifically was the Missing Man Table Presentation.
During this, members of Rolling Thunder Indiana Chapter 6 presented a hat from the five branches of military to signify the men and women who could not be in attendance because they are unaccounted for as POW/MIA's.
Ritzer said both the placement
…show more content…
Another portion of the ceremony was a keynote speech delivered by Congressman Larry Buschon.
He began by thanking members of the audience for their “courage and sacrifice” before moving into a personal story about a man from his hometown in Illinois.
The man had gone to Vietnam and lost his life, leaving behind his twin brother who years later had still not been able to visit The Wall That Heals in Washington.
Buschon said he was going to be close looking at colleges for residency and took the opportunity to make an etching of the man's name for his brother.
"Presenting (the etching) to him was one of the most emotional things I think I have ever done," Buschon said.
The wall holds 58,000 names, but Buschon said they are more than that.
"(The walls) represent more than simple names or flags," Buschon said. "They represent the countless men and women, our friends, family members, neighbors, who made the ultimate sacrifice to expand the reach of freedom and protect our way of life."
He told the crowd to never forget what was given up by so many veterans that made it possible for them all to be there