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The people and the communities of the Ohio Valley have made some of the greatest sacrifices in history when it comes to military service. Thus, the people and the communities of the Ohio Valley have long been some of the most ardent supporters of the U.S. military and the veterans who have returned home.
This was on full display this past weekend, when The Wall That Heals made a four-day stop at the Belmont County Fairgrounds. The wall, a touring three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, brought more than 8,000 visitors to the fairgrounds in that span.
That total impressed both the local committee and Wall That Heals Site Manager Tim Tetz.
"I've been on the road now for 14 years with the Wall That Heals. I've been to 150 to 250 sites and this part of America is special," he said. "All of America turns out for the Wall That Heals, but this part of America is special because this part of America is the part that gave the most of their sons and daughters to this conflict and continues to do this today with the service members we have.
"West Virginia has the most per capita on the wall of any other state. "And Beallsville ... gave the most per capita for their community. And so, it's expected you're going to get a good turnout, but this was an excellent turnout."
We should expect nothing less from the people of the Ohio Valley.