Touch The Wall Fingers touching James W Herrick Jr's name on the Wall

It Starts at Home
ABC's of Panels
Meticulous Care and Repair
We Need Your Help



It Starts at Home
John Devitt and Norris Shears
(with me) in the warehouse. - click to enlarge



This trip was an incredible journey, not only in distance (from our house it was 1763 miles one way) but witnessing the Moving Wall operations, exploring the warehouse, reviewing their preparations and being treated to John's life long memories. John has never changed his values nor his lifestyle but he has kept the vigil for the veterans he served with and honored every day for the last 27 years.

(L-R) pre-2000 Gerry Haver and
John Devitt. - click to enlarge


Up to Gerry Haver's passing, these three men dedicated their lives to ensuring the Wall panels were maintained, updated and delivered year after year without asking for anything from anyone or any company. Along the way, memories were tucked away just like the memento's left at The Moving Wall. John, Norris and Gerry transported this "living" half-size replica to more than 1000 towns with the same enthusiasm and consideration that was in place on October 15, 1984 in Tyler, Texas.







Except for the sign on the front door,
you would not have any idea what is inside the warehouse. -click to enlarge

Walking through the front door, visitors are blown away with the massive structure and the inside usage of every inch of The Moving Wall Warehouse. It is divided up into very functional spaces with each having its own defined application. There are the work areas and then there are the fun places. I was granted permission by John Devitt to share inside photographs of The Moving Wall warehouse just for this specific purpose on Touch The Wall's web site, July 2009.


Welcome to Shanghai Kellys, 
(photograph permission generously granted by Jess Dirks, Cedar Rapids, IA from her private collection  - click to enlarge

John's personal memories
are everywhere - click to enlarge

Norris enjoying the comfort
of a very familar watering hole - click to enlarge

Ever wonder where all the hats
that John has collected over the years, they are all on the ceiling. - click to enlarge





Gary Denitto inside the
front door of the warehouse - click to enlarge

At each sponsored event, after the closing ceremony all of the artifacts and memento's that are left at the memorial, each are carefully documented and packed, then sent to the Vietnam Combat Veteran's Moving Wall warehouse for storage. The warehouse in White Pine, Michigan, houses every events' precious cargo and the boxes seem to go on forever. The boxes are stacked high
and deep. - click to enlarge

Protective tarps cover 
vunerable areas  - click to enlarge

Every box is treasured and a forklift
ensures that each box is stacked securely. - click to enlarge

Surprisingly there is still room to
grow. - click to enlarge

Another storage area (photograph
permission generously granted by Jess Dirks, Cedar Rapids, IA from her private collection - click to enlarge

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ABC's of Panels The wall that overlooks
the warehouse working space. - click to enlarge

Whether John, Norris, Joy, Aaron and Lisa are working on a replacement panel or repairing an existing usable panel, it all begins within this huge work area. It boggles the mind listening to John reciting the entire process. You know he has done the processing hundreds of times but in his voice you hear the pride he has when he talks about these panels carrying the names of veterans who he respects and honors. Complimenting on his work, he shrugs it off, it never was for him that he does this work.

Like soldiers, these
stark black blank panels standing erect in the corner waiting to display the veterans at a Wall event. - click to enlarge

Basically everything
begins with the original stencils (photograph permission generously granted by Jess Dirks, Cedar Rapids, IA from her private collection . 
- click to enlarge

Within this
room the images are photographed. - click to enlarge

Room constructed
for the photographing the strencils. - click to enlarge

Preparing the stencil
for inking (photograph permission generously granted by Jess Dirks, Cedar Rapids, IA from her private collection - click to enlarge

Preparing the
stencils for photographing (photograph permission generously granted by Jess Dirks, Cedar Rapids, IA from her private collection. 
- click to enlarge

Setting the screen over
the panel for inking. (photograph permission generously granted by Jess Dirks, Cedar Rapids, IA from her private collection - click to enlarge

The image is
set into the stencil (photograph permission generously granted by Jess Dirks, Cedar Rapids, IA from her private collection - click to enlarge

Where the bleaching
of the stencils is done. - click to enlarge

Demonstration on
how the panels are washed down (photograph permission generously granted by Jess Dirks, Cedar Rapids, IA from her private collection - click to enlarge

John, Norris and Gerry
built this oven since nothing on the market worked well. - click to enlarge

John shows how
the panels are set into the oven (photograph permission generously granted by Jess Dirks, Cedar Rapids, IA from her private collection - click to enlarge

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Meticulous Care and Repair

In the next to the largest room is the care and repair area for the stencils before they can be silk screened on the panels. Sounds easy right, well touching up the stencils is really a tidiest, back-breaking, eye-straining, bum-numbing, arm-aching, and time-consuming task. It is important as ensuring that names are spelled correctly and the memorial is accurately reflective of the original DC memorial. There are numerous dedicated volunteers that come and help for hours sitting there and touching up the screens - their work is not easy but no one that I met there complained, in fact everyone was actually happily working inch by inch on their entire screen panel. John and Joy have some amazing volunteers that are ready to work whenever Aaron, Lisa, Norris, Joy and John need their help.

The area
also leads into the supply room and John's office. - click to enlarge

The stencils
are carefully checked for spots that need to be eliminated before continuing the inking process. - click to enlarge

The finished
stencil ready to continue the printing process.- click to enlarge

The most efficent
technique to check for all spots or mistakes is setting them up in front of the door where light will provide the best visual. - click to enlarge

Various angles
and more than one set of eyes review the stencils. - click to enlarge

The finished
stencil ready to continue the printing process.  - click to enlarge

On the reverse
side you do not see all of the touch ups.  - click to enlarge

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We Need Your Help



The Moving Wall has 70 panel slabs (not including the blank 70 east and 70 west ends. Please remember that each slab actually silk screens two DC panels on each slab. To the novice, the processing of each panel looks simple enough but the amount of work for each slab cannot be reduced to a few hours. This process is repeated multiple times within just a year and has been ongoing for 25 years. Then if you multiply the number of repairs for 11 years with three replicas, 11 years (to date) with two replicas and the first three years with the original replica. Yet no one complains - in fact, everyone works on each repair, addition, correction or touch up as a labor of love.

However, there is a problem and it's focus is on "when the Memorial is set up in a sponsored hometown." The Moving Wall needs to be treated with more respect. There needs to be more vigilance on the daily visitations.

Each morning the escorts take a considerable amount of time to carefully inspect the panels for scratches or other disfiguring marks and then wax the Wall. Mother nature can always be a unplanned hazard but it is sometimes discouraging when there are preventable disfigurements.

We really need the word to get out that the memorial is vulnerable and watchful eyes are needed to ensure that the Wall is not marred. Using pencils or pens or rubbing names far too hard will flatten these embossed veterans' name. Any publicity about The Moving Wall setting up should repeatedly refer to sponsors having the only authorized carpenter crayons for rubbings. As signs are displayed establishing the tranquility of the memorial grounds, there should also be reminders that absolutely no pencils or pens are ever allowed.

Although teaching children about the Memorial and its veteran have always been a major consideration but children, unfortunately they do not always understand how delicate the panels are. We want our older children to experience the Wall and connecting with a veteran, but it should be done with parental supervision. When large groups of school children visit, it is hard to have that one on one connection. We encourage only children with adult family members are allowed to do a rubbing. Sponsors are instructed to try to maintain a limited exposure during large school groups. However we welcome the child who comes prepared with the information of a family member who is engraved on the Wall or the child who returns to the memorial with their parents.

Like the marble panels at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in DC, jewelry has become the number one hazard to the memorial. Rings, bracelets (yes even POW/MIA bracelets), cufflinks, watches and cell phone charms scratch the panels. Sometimes these marks cannot be taken out until the memorial concludes at seasons end. Not only is it disheartening to take a damaged panel on the remaining tour set ups but multiple problems are time consuming and expensive to repair.

Nothing should ever be attached to the panels, (i.e., paperclips, scotch tape, putty, or art dots). Also large items should not be leaned up against the metal panels but stood up independently. Any object too close could fall against the panel and scratch it on its descend.

The Moving Wall was developed to travel where residents may not be able to travel to Washington and to celebrate the local town heroes that may have not had the recognition ceremonies honoring the veterans and their families. John, Norris and Gerry did everything they could to design the most authentic, accurate, original, immaculate, first-rate replica to each and every hometown but we need your participation to preserve this most recognized monument. Visiting The Moving Wall should be a personal experience, as Jessica Dirks wrote about her visit to the replica, "Every time, I get it a little more..." Beautifully stated.



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