EAST AURORA
Wall leaves, Vietnam emotions linger
Thousands of Western New Yorkers showed up to view the largest traveling replica of the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial that was on display in the Town of Aurora until Monday evening.
The 80 percent-size replica of the Wall, which arrived here Wednesday with an escort of several hundred motorcyclists leading the way into Knox Farm State Park, is now packed up and on its way to Tulelake, Calif., for its next engagement.
“I believe virtually all of the visitors were in awe. As the largest replica, 80 percent of the original size, it is extremely impressive and also very somber,” said William Kuppel, who helped arrange for the visit here with other members of the East Aurora Vietnam Veterans, part of American Legion Post 362.
Each day, thousands of people streamed into the park to pay their respects to the names of the 58,265 service members who were killed in the Vietnam War.
What especially touched many of the organizers was when a contingent of South Vietnamese living in Western New York visited the more than 370-foot-long memorial and grew emotional after they noticed a flag from their native land.
“They brought a floral wreath that was replica of the South Vietnam flag, and when they spotted a South Vietnam flag flying on the Wall, it was a pretty emotional time,” Kuppel said. “They had come to the memorial only to thank the veterans for defending their country.”
In response, organizers Monday held a ceremony where they presented the local South Vietnamese natives with that flag, which included signatures from area Vietnam War veterans.
“The South Vietnamese-Americans are going to take the flag and put it on display at their community center in Buffalo,” Kuppel said.
Even though there was rain on three of the five full days that the traveling Wall was on display here, Kuppel said, thousands of people visited daily.
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