WSAV-TV 2024-11-11 22:51:01

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RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WSAV) – It was an emotional Veterans Day at J.F. Gregory Park as a crowd gathered to view the Traveling Vietnam Wall.

Over 58,000 names are displayed along the wall with the Cost of Freedom Tribute, honoring our nation’s heroes.

The Traveling Vietnam Wall stands 8 feet tall and spans 360 feet, creating a profound experience that educates and honors those who served.

The tribute also includes the Cost of Freedom Tribute, which honors service members who served in conflicts such as WWI, WWII, Korea, Desert Storm, Somalia, 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Several veterans attended the Veterans Day ceremony just steps away from the wall. Jim Liederhouse, an Air Force Vietnam veteran, was emotional reflecting on his military service and the sacrifice of others.

“I look at all the names, all 58,000 plus, and I think, ‘Oh, my lord. Oh, all these guys had to sacrifice for our country.’ It’s just totally amazing. It just blows me away,” Liederhouse said.
He remembers the hard times he went through in Vietnam, working in medical evacuation.

“I tell my wife, many times, there’s a lot of guilt for the people, the soldiers that I could not save. And she keeps telling me to think about the ones that you did save. So that’s what I tried to do,” he said.

Many veterans, especially those returning from Vietnam, were not welcomed home with open arms. They tell me they were mistreated, nothing like the honor they receive today.

For some, like Don Royals, it’s still hard to talk about. His wife, Norma, tells News 3 it’s been 43 years since they got married, and he still keeps some things to himself.

“He would never talk about it. One reason is it was secret operations, and he couldn’t tell me anything. The other was he was made to feel ashamed for what he had done, and he wouldn’t talk about it,” she said.

But these people are sons, daughters, siblings, parents, grandparents and great-grands. Each name on the wall comes with a story. Others… prisoners of war or missing in action.

Liederhouse said he never misses an opportunity to say “Hello” to a fellow serviceman or woman.

“When we are out shopping or going to restaurants and so on, I see another vet with a Vietnam veteran’s hat, I have to stop and welcome them home,” he said. “We did not get welcomed home very well when we came back. And it’s very important that we greet each other. And that’s what I try to do.”

The public can view the tribute through Nov. 13 during daylight hours. J.F. Gregory Park is located at 521 Cedar St. in Richmond Hill.