According to the National Archives and Records Administration, 58,220 U.S. military fatal casualties were recorded during the Vietnam War. In October 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, located in Washington, D.C., was completed, and was dedicated Nov. 13, 1982.

Several groups of names have been added to the wall since its dedication. In 2011, the last set of names added to the monument brought the total to 58, 272, according to the Wall’s website.

Rick Black, senior vice president of the Waynesburg Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), acknowledged the fact that not everyone is able to travel to Washington, D.C., to visit the wall. But the memorial wall means an indescribable amount to those with loved ones, friends and family, whose names are on the wall.

So, he reached out to the people who operate the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall in 2015, hoping to bring the wall to the Waynesburg community. They gave him three sets of dates. The first set of days didn’t work, but the second did.

Now, the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall will be on display in Waynesburg for the first time since its creation in the 1990s. The three-fifths scale wall, which is six feet tall and almost 300 feet around, according to its website, was scheduled to arrive yesterday with an escort of over 200 motorcycles, cars and trucks. The wall was escorted from Morgantown and was scheduled to arrive before 2:30 p.m.

The wall will be displayed at the Greene County Fairgrounds, in Waynesburg. An opening ceremony will take place tonight at 6 p.m., followed by a fly over at 6:15 p.m.

Black, who also belongs to the American Legion, said the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall will be available for visitation 24 hours a day from Thursday until Sunday, and there is no admission to come see the wall.

Saturday, starting at 1 p.m., will be a recognition ceremony for those on the wall. Black said there will be nine people whose names are on the wall from Greene County that will be honored during the ceremony. There will be a fly over for the recognition ceremony at 1:15 p.m.

For Black, this ceremony will be special.

“There’s a fellow on the wall that I graduated with from Waynesburg here,” Black said. “Glenn Hopes – 1964 from Waynesburg High School.”

Black continued on the importance of seeing the wall here in Waynesburg.

“It’s extremely important. I have seen the wall but it’s very important to me. To let other people have the opportunity to see the wall…It being here, there’s some people that wouldn’t make the trip but with loved ones here they will [be able to see the wall],” Black said.

Black said there’s nothing better than people having the opportunity to see the wall with all of their loved ones around them.

He said for some, seeing the wall won’t be easy but that there will be professional counselors available to help those who need it. There will also be people who can help search for names to help anyone looking for specific names or try to answer questions people may have.

Black said there will not be any ceremonies tomorrow, because Sept. 29 marks the 118th birthday of the VFW organization.

While Black acknowledged Waynesburg University’s Homecoming football game that will occur at the same time as the recognition ceremony, he hopes there will be university students, alumni and faculty or fans in general that stop to visit the wall, following the game.

He said while college students today aren’t as impacted by the memorial as older generations, it’s still something that will make a difference to these younger generations down the road.

Sunday’s agenda will feature a Warriors Rock Concert to benefit veterans at 3 p.m. Black said the event is dedicated to veterans and that there were 10 veterans interviewed where they were asked their favorite song during the time they were in Vietnam.

The responses from the veterans will then be the songs plated at the concert.

At 6 p.m., the closing ceremony will take place for about one hour, however, Black said the wall’s visiting hours will go until midnight that evening before the wall will be disassembled and taken to its next location in Florida.

Black said there is an excitement in Waynesburg about the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall coming to town.

“This has been well received by the community, by all veterans, county commissioners – everyone is putting a lot of positive effort into this,” Black said.