Very few monuments have the power to inspire the multitude of mixed emotions the Vietnam Veterans Memorial often stirs.
Every year, thousands flock to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorial. Although comprised of three elements, it would be safe to say the site’s most recognizable feature is, “The Wall.”
Completed in 1984, the memorial has served as a place for inspiration, remembrance, hope and solace. Names found upon it represent U.S. servicemen and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War, as well as those who remain unaccounted for.
Today, one Vietnam veteran is looking to make a difference, by broadening The Wall’s scope, allowing it to reach those unable to come to it.
“I volunteered at The Wall for a number of years,” said Jim Schueckler, former Army pilot and founder of The Virtual Wall. “The Wall provided me healing from the pain of a very controversial war.”
Schueckler said he developed the on-line version of the memorial to help that healing process spread, and to ensure that all those who served would be remembered.
Established in 1997, The Virtual Wall provides a Web site for memorials. It is not a complete listing of Vietnam casualties, rather each name on the site has been written or contributed by a relative or friend of the departed.
All services on the site are completely free of charge and visitors may leave tributes, letters, poems or photographs in honor of a fallen friend or loved one.
According to, www.Virtual Wall.org, the goal of the site is, “to provide an environment like The Wall itself, with the dignity and respect those named on The Wall have earned.”
No flashing ads, polls or quizzes distract from the site’s true mission.
The Virtual Wall has also served as a means of reunion for many. According to Schueckler, thousands of relatives and war-time buddies of Vietnam veterans have found each other through the site.
“An important thing that has happened through this site is that families and former service members meet via e-mail,” he said. “For the families, it allows them to know that there is somebody out there who still cares.”
And for those with no direct links to the Vietnam War, the site offers an opportunity for a very personal tour through history.
Visitors can learn first hand about the men and women behind the uniform, as well as some war stories told by those who lived it. They may even find a hometown hero like Troy David Faulkner, who resided in Weatherford and passed at the young age of 23 during the pinnacle of the Vietnam conflict.
The Virtual Wall offers a number of benefits to a wide range of people, but for Schueckler above all else, creating a lasting memory of those who gave all they had is the most important service the site provides.
“Every person who dies in war needs to be remembered for their sacrifice,” he said. “Even if that war was controversial.”
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