For more photos of Thursday’s flag-presentation ceremony at The Wall That Heals, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/centertech/sets/72157626706387464/
Southwestern High School Battalion Commander LTC Andy Garner stands at attention in salute of the American flag at The Wall That Heals.
This week’s noontime daily military observances at The Wall That Heals mobile Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and Museum continued Thursday at The Center for Rural Development with a brief flag-presentation ceremony by cadets with the Southwestern High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC).
Cadets placed approximately 40 miniature American flags —donated by the Somerset Woodmen of the World agency—around the perimeter of The Wall in honor of the more than 58,000 service members killed or reported missing in action during Vietnam War.
“For more than 200 years, the American flag has been the symbol of our nation’s strength and unity,” Ret. Sgt. First Class Jeannie Cottle told the crowd gathered for the flag presentation. “(The flag) has been a source of pride and inspiration for millions of citizens.”
Cottle, a JROTC instructor at Southwestern High School, gave a brief history of the American flag and pointed out some of its most iconic points in history.
The Wall That Heals, a mobile half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. will remain on the grounds of The Center through 1 p.m. Sunday.
At noon on Friday, members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Pulaski Vets organizations will read the names of all 1,058 Kentucky service members listed on The Wall.
The Wall’s closing ceremony is scheduled for noon on Saturday with full military honors by Somerset’s American Legion Post 38.
For more information about The Wall, contact The Center for Rural Development at 606-677-6000 or visit centertech.com or www.vvmf.org/twth.
