By Daniel Vela

A mobile memorial for Vietnam Veterans is returning to Flint for the final time this summer as the Genesee County chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America starts to wind down its operations.

“The Moving Wall,” a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, will be back in Flint from July 30 to August 4, 2026. It has been to Flint four times before, all proudly hosted by the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 175 Genesee County (VVA 175). 

But, as the small club of warfighters grows older, explained Bill Smith, fundraising chair for the Moving Wall effort, its members know the chapter will have to retire.

“79 is the average member age, and we’re just too old,” Smith, an Airforce veteran who spent 18 months serving in Vietnam, told East Village Magazine (EVM) earlier this month. “We’re calling this our last hurrah.”

Smith shared that in 1987, about 40 chapter members traveled to Washington for the fifth anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall.

It’s a pilgrimage for many veterans of that era, Smith said, to see the 58,328 names of their brothers-and-sisters-in-arms etched into reflective black granite. But whether it be due to physical or financial barriers, not everyone who would like to see the memorial can travel to see the wall for themselves.

So, when the group learned about the replica wall, there was no question they wanted to help get it here to Flint. And in 1988, VVA 175 brought the Moving Wall to Bluebell Beach for the first time.

“Not to brag or anything, but we drew in more people than the Buick open that year,” Smith said, citing that over 100,000 people came to visit the traveling memorial in 1988.  He added that the replica was intentionally placed at Bluebell, as the park also hosts one of Flint and Genesee County’s local Vietnam Veterans memorials.

In the mid-to-late 1980s, the VVA chapter’s membership was at its peak, with upwards of 480 members by Smith’s estimate. But over the years that number has dwindled, and now Smith and other members are celebrating the sunsetting of their chapter with a final visit from The Moving Wall.

“We’re going to stay in business as long as we can,” Smith told EVM. “If we can go for three or four more years and help veterans out, the last guy out gives all the money away, and turns off the light, and it’s over.”

The Moving Wall was brought back to Flint by VVA 175 again in 1997, 2003, and 2008. And although the number of visitors, like VVA 175 membership itself, has lessened since the memorial first came to Flint, the impact the mobile memorial has on those who recognize a name on the wall has not. 

Joe Mishler, President of VVA 175 and Project Chair for the Moving Wall, explained the memorial’s significance to him and the community. “It helps us honor those who did not come home and keeps our promise to keep their memories alive,” he said.

Mishler said the first time he saw the wall was a “gamechanger” for him.

“It was very painful to touch the names of people I served with and knew,” he told EVM. “That hasn’t gotten any easier, but it gives you a connection with them and gives you a connection with the whole experience.”

Organizers shared that the memorial will have a motorcycle escort to the beach, courtesy of several veterans’ motorcycle and riding clubs. It will then be carefully unloaded and erected by volunteers to include the landscaping, flags, and other décor.

Opening ceremonies for the installation will include a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action service and words from keynote speaker John Riling. There will also be a showing of the LZ ARIELLE Vietnam Veterans Display by Frank Schaffer. 

The Moving Wall will be on display, 24-hours a day, during its July 30 – Aug. 4 residency at Bluebell Beach, located at 5500 Bray Road in Flint.

Smith noted there will also be volunteers and security on site to assist with locating names on the walls, and the VVA chapter is still in need of more volunteers and donations to support their effort. To support, call Smith at 810-348-3188.

The Moving Wall is currently sponsored by the Genesee County Department of Veteran Services, Michele Papatheodore Realty, the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 175, and Genesee County Parks Service. 

Lead photo credit: A Marine at Vietnam Memorial on 4th July 2002. (Meutia Chaerani – Indradi Soemardjan, CC BY-SA 3.0 accessed via Wikimedia Commons)