“When we did start trying to organize this, to get it here,” said Holbrooks, “I thought it would never happen. How in the world? But, with the help of so many people, it has happened, and it took a lot of people. But I did do that first Google search, and I praise God it took me to the lady and gentleman who brought it here today, Paul and Kim. They have been absolutely phenomenal.”
She explained how the Wall was meant to be displayed outdoors, and Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative offered its facility in Westminster. “Blue Ridge was the perfect place to have it,” she said. “It’s sort of the center of the county, a great location with perfect parking. Thank you so much. You were so kind to let us have it here.”
She discovered that 18 inches needed to be dug into the ground to stablize it. “Well, we can’t dig in cement,” she said. “Dave Burgess was a God-send. He figured out a way to make it happen.”
On Wednesday, November 8, she met the couple, Paul and Kim Chen, who had driven the Wall to South Carolina. “I was nervous,” Holbrooks said. “They had to come and approve the site. I was ‘scared to death’, because, number one, it’s on cement, and, number two, it’s inside this awesome shelter. We came here and looked at it, and Paul said, ‘Y’all did a great job. This is awesome.’
“On Thursday morning, we all gathered. There were a lot of volunteers, and I’m not going to call names, because I know I’ll forget somebody. A lot of volunteers came out in the cold and the rain and helped us assemble this, and it’s beautiful. I did tell Denise, ‘I really appreciate Blue Ridge building this shelter years ago for this Wall.’ It’s perfect. They couldn’t have planned it any better. Thank you so much, Denise and Blue Ridge, for allowing us to have it here, and thank you, Paul and Kim, for being the caretakers of this Wall. When they leave here, they go back to Michigan for the winter. I think three more names are going to be added to the Wall during the winter. When a name is added to the Wall in Washington, it’s added to this Wall. And this Wall is 33 years old. It’s the original duplicate of the Vietnam Wall in D.C. There are others, but this is the original one. The panels have been replaced, as they needed to be replaced, but this is oldest traveling Wall. This is The Moving Wall, and we’re so blessed to have it.
“Just a little bit of information on this: there are 58,315 names on this Wall. That’s 58,315 families that have been affected. Those friends have been affected. That’s my generation. A lot of y’all out there, I can see, are in my generation, too. And, if you’re not my generation, you probably know somebody that knows somebody that’s on this Wall. There are 21 names on it from Oconee County that gave the ultimate sacrifice. The youngest person on this Wall is 15 years old. He lied about his age, of course, was admitted in, they found out he lied, they kicked him out, he lied again, and went back in. Now, his name is on the Wall. The oldest one is 62. There are 22 sixteen year olds on this Wall. My grandchildren are 17 and 21. Sixteen year olds: 22 of them are on this wall. Can you imagine how those mamas felt? Those Daddies? There are eight women. There are 33 sets of brothers. There are three sets of fathers and sons. Can you imagine being in that mama’s position, when her husband and her son (died)? Those people came up to her door to tell her twice she had lost a loved one in Vietnam. I can only imagine. And there are so many others. There are four male nurses on here. They were all killed in the same plane crash on November 30, 1967. There are a lot of different people’s names on this wall.
“We’ve been so blessed to have so many young people come to see this since it’s been here. It technically opened Thursday. We had a soft opening about 1:00. People started coming in before we finished setting it up. It’s been a steady stream of people. I would venture to say there have been thousands of people come through here to look at this wall. And I can’t thank y’all enough. It has made every tear I’ve shed, and every worry I’ve worried, and every night I’ve not slept well, worth it, to see the people that have been exposed to this wall. It’s been my pleasure, it’s been my honor, and I am so blessed to have been a part of this. It has been a labor of love.
“The Veterans Council came together with us. They have just been awesome. I have the best job on the planet. The Lord has blessed me to work with the best veterans in the world. I am just so blessed with the veterans and the families that I have. Thank y’all so much for allowing me to be a part of your life.
“Spend as much time as you want, viewing this Wall. We’ll be here. And we’ll be here tomorrow till 3:00. At 3:00, we will break it down and let Paul and Kim go on home for the winter, so that they can start refurbishing it and doing what they need to do to get back on the road next April.
“I am so thankful. And County Council, thank you so much for the support that y’all have given us. It has been tremendous. Thomas, your office has been incredible. There have been so many people that have helped so much. Thank y’all so much. God bless y’all. Have safe travels, and please take time to look at this Wall.”