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It was Sunday September
28, 1986. The long hot weekend was finally over. Chapter #23, the Vietnam
Veterans of the War Inc., the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club of Hollywood and
several other Veterans Organizations in Broward County had pulled it off. THE
FIRST EVER VIETNAM VETERANS REUNION INBROWARD COUNTY WAS OVER. Held at C. B.
Smith Park, the event had drawn Vietnam Veterans from allover Broward, Dade and
Palm Beach Counties. The entire weekend was a huge success. Only one
disappointment marred an other wise perfect weekend. The Traveling Wall a half
size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C: was
scheduled to be at the reunion and for reasons unknown it was a no show.
Vietnam Veterans being long used to the art of improvising wasted no
time in building a make shift Wall Although it had no names on it. The wives
and children cut out paper hearts and sat at the Wall with a book of all the
names of those who served and died People would come to the wall get a paper
heart write the name of a loved one on it and tape it to the Wall. It was
better than having the real Wall there.
I spent the entire week end
there helping out in any way I could. Sunday night after al1 were gone but a
few of us and we had just finished taking down the wall. One member of VVA-23
looked up the hill and said. "Never again will this happen. We are going to
build our on version of the Wall". That man was Michael Savenelli. Vietnam
Veteran, US. Army, Bronze and Silver Star and five Purple Hearts. He brought
his idea to the members of Chapter #23. Although many of us thought we were
taking on an insurmountable task we all agreed to GO FOR IT. It took a year of
planing, building, begging and fund raising. Until finally Michael's dream came
true.
Michael is gone now, but his dream lives on" The Wall you see
here today is a result of a man so dedicated, so determined and so much in love
with his Brother's and Sister's that served in a Conflict that most want to
forget. That he would not let his dream die. We in WA-23 shall never forget
Michael and his dream. We will safe guard this Wall and honor all whose names
appear on it. For this is all Michael ever asked of us and this we proudly do.
We tour the Wall in Broward, Dade, and Palm Beach Counties. Taking it
anywhere we are asked. We made a vow never to charge for the displaying of the
Wall and have never have and never will. We also vowed never to pay to display
it. This also we will never do. The donations placed in the box that sits at
the Wall is exclusively for the up keep and transportation costs of touring the
Wall.
So when you look at this Wall. Look not only at the names of the
58,437 men and women that lost their lives. Look at the center and see the man
whose Courage, Love and Determination, brought the Wall to those that could not
go to Washington to see it.
"Michael we know you look down on us each
and every day. So we give to you one last promise" "Your Dream shall never die.
For it is! |
