Belmont County the Wall That Heals Committee co-chair Roberta Raymond speaks about how the Wall That Heals will be an exciting attraction when it rolls through Belmont County Oct. 1-4. (Photo by Gage Vota)

ST. CLAIRSVILLE – Belmont County residents came in droves to attend the first the Wall That Heals community kick-off meeting at American Legion Post 159 at noon on Thursday.

The Wall That Heals – a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial along with a mobile education center – is coming to Belmont County, Oct. 1-4, at the Belmont County Fairgrounds in St. Clairsville. The display will be open 24 hours a day and free to the public.

Belmont County the Wall That Heals Committee co-chair Roberta Raymond said that the community kick-off meeting was to let community residents know the Wall That Heals that will be at the fairgrounds.

The three-quarter scale wall replica is 375 feet in length and stands 7½ feet high.

The mobile education center exhibit includes two digital photo displays. The Hometown Heroes display highlights service members whose names are on The Wall that list their home of record within the area of a visit. The In Memory display highlights Vietnam veterans from the local area honored through VVMF’s In Memory program which honors veterans who returned home from Vietnam and later died. Additional displays include videos that teach about the history and impact of The Wall, educational exhibits told through items representative of those left at The Wall in D.C., a replica of the In Memory plaque, a map of Vietnam and a timeline of the Vietnam War. The exhibits tell the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall and the era surrounding the conflict, and are designed to put American experiences in Vietnam in a historical and cultural context.

American Legion Post 159 adjutant Rick Johnson will be the escort captain who will be responsible for the route that the truck carrying the wall will be taking as it comes from the Highlands to the fairgrounds.

“Gold Star families that have somebody on the wall are going to be contacted, and it’s going to be a heart wrenching thing to watch them have the opportunity to carry those panels out when they do erect the wall,” Johnson said. “A Gold Star family is somebody who’s lost a family member in the war, and then they’ll actually be able to carry the panel that has the name of their relative or the loved one on it.”

Johnson served in The Air Force in Vietnam from August 1968 to August 1969.

“When I came home I got eggs thrown at me when we were on the bus transporting us down to the Los Angeles Airport. Tomatoes and eggs were thrown at the bus. We were called baby killers,” he said. “It’s heart wrenching, even for me today to have somebody walk up to me and thank them for my service, because for many years I didn’t care if anybody knew I was a veteran, and it’s great to be recognized.”

Raymond’s husband Tim Meighen died in 2017 from complications of Agent Orange. She said that the passing of her husband is what made her want to get involved with the committee.

“We’re encouraging people to bring their families and their kids who may not have heard about the Vietnam Wall. Anybody under 50 wasn’t alive when the war was going on, so we’re encouraging them to come,” she said. “But this was a kick off to get the community involved, to let them know what we’re doing and to reach out to volunteers.”

Executive Director of Belmont County Tourism and Belmont County The Wall That Heals Committee co-chair Jackee Pugh added that volunteers are needed for when the wall comes to Belmont County.

She said that the committee is also asking for in-kind donations such as food and drinks for the volunteers due to the wall being open to the public 24 hours a day.

Pugh added that if anyone is interested in donating or volunteering to contact Belmont County the Wall That Heals 2026 on Facebook.

“Today was an amazing experience to bring the community together to learn about the impact the Wall That Heals will have coming into Belmont County. We’re gonna need a lot of community support, between volunteers, sponsorships, in kind donations and really just raising awareness,” Pugh said. “We want the community to be able to tell their neighbors about this amazing thing coming and spread the word the best that they can. So this meeting really was an opportunity for us to share our story to then help it spread out further into the community.”

Belmont County Commissioner J.P. Dutton said that he is very much looking forward to the wall being in the county.

“The Tourism Council and Jackie Pugh approached the commissioners with this. We had a conversation about it and it just seemed like such an exciting opportunity, but one that is going to be kind of tough. It’s a very competitive process to try to be a host community. They had mentioned that it had been in our region in the past. It had been in Noble County, Ohio, and I reached out to a Commissioner colleague of mine, Commissioner Ty Moore, who’s now a state representative,” Dutton said. “He said, it takes a lot of effort within the community. You have to have a lot of willing volunteers, financial donors, all those types of things. And I think what we just saw today, this far out from the event, is just proof of how much support there already is for this, and that is only going to grow by leaps and bounds between now and the fall.”

Dutton added that he believes it’s exciting to see how many residents from all aspects of the community are already coming together and excited.

“It’s just going to be such a tremendous event not just for Belmont County, but for the Ohio Valley,” Dutton said. “The Ohio Valley has dedicated a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and lives, in defense of our country’s freedom.”