CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It has been 56 years since the ground campaign of the Vietnam War began -- with the conflict lasting for a decade and taking thousands of lives.
This weekend, Kleberg County officials are inviting community members out to visit a replica of the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall at Maggie Salinas Pavilion near 6th and Yoakum Avenue.
The wall serves as a reminder of all the lives that were lost, with 58,000 names on the wall of service members who fought for their county. The replica allows residents to visit loved ones without having to travel to Washington DC.
It is of extra significance that the wall is in Kingsville this weekend because Friday is Veterans Day. A number of people came out for the opening ceremony Thursday to view the wall of honor, to reflect and to grieve.
Among those searching for friends was Vietnam veteran Rudy Castillo.
"To remember my friends. I can't stand Taps, it hurts me more, every time they play it, I cry," Castillo said.
3NEWS also found Maria Elena Crowley, who is also a Marine Corps veteran and who also served as a committee member to bring the wall to Kingsville. She pointed out a couple of local services members from Kingsville who were killed during the war.
"Danny (Tellez) was a Marine, and that is why I'm so kin to him, because of the Marine Corps so he's one of our people from Kingsville I personally knew," she said. "The other one is Jesus Perez, he and I were classmates, he also perished in Vietnam."
The Memorial Wall will be presented on Kingsville's Daniel Alacron Street, named after the first Kingsville serviceman to be killed in action during the Korean War.
Kingsville Mayor Sam Fugate recently joined Rudy and Barbie during Domingo Live to discuss the significance of the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall.
"It's quite an emotional event," Fugate said. "Over 58,000 service people were killed in action in Vietnam, and all their names are on that wall."
The viewing of the Wall is free and open to the public. Viewing on Friday and Saturday goes from 8 a.m., to 8 p.m. Sunday you can see the wall from 8 a.m. to noon.
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- Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall comes to Kingsville Nov. 10-13
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