Video: Natick Welcomes Vietnam Moving Wall

The roaring blasts heard over the opening ceremony Thursday were not shots from the scheduled 21- gun salute, but rather cracks of lightning, which pushed the event from the field where the wall currently sits to the auditorium.

A few visitors and volunteers ignored the streaks of light across the sky and huddled under umbrellas on the NHS practice soccer field, reading the names of those who were lost in Vietnam. Several hundred others sat in the auditorium's dry seats while representatives from the community and the armed forces recognized the 11 heroes from Natick, their families and the work that went into making the two-year project come alive.

Eleven wreaths lined the stage, representing each of the men killed in action. Their average age was only 23. The youngest was Kevin Lynch, who was just 19 when he was killed at war. Brig. Gen. John J. McGuiness, who recently returned from service in Afghanistan, read the names and causes of death of each of the individuals. ()

“These were 11 young men, some of them teenagers, who entered to the call of service to the Nation. They sadly made the ultimate sacrifice,” said McGuiness. “I know it’s been many years since these 11 men gave their lives, but I know that for their families and friends it never gets easy and their sacrifice is no less profound.”

Many of the men had family members and friends who stood in their honor. Their names are amongst the 58,400 that are carved into the half-size replica of Washinton D.C.'s Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Vietnam Moving Wall will remain in Natick until June 12.

“When the wall is gone, you will remember,” said Ed Jolley, chairman of the Vietnam Moving Wall project. “When you touch it—just the feeling and the emotion you get is something you’ll never forget.”

“This wall provides us with the opportunity to honor their sacrifice,” board of selectmen chairman Charlie Hughes said of the men and women that lost their lives. Hughes said he recognized the name of serviceman he knew growing up in his town in New York, who died at war. State Senator Karen Spilka became emotional recalling a friend who was killed. “This is really an important project for the town of Natick, the MetroWest and all of the state,” she said.

The ceremonies will continue this week to honor the wall's stay in Natick. A ceremony will be held on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at noon and the closing ceremony will be held on Sunday at 5 p.m.