Vietnam Traveling Wall escorted from Camp Shelby museum to Jackson Trail of Honor

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. (WDAM) - A mobile tribute to fallen heroes from the Vietnam War made a stopover at Camp Shelby Thursday on its way to a patriotic event in Jackson that’s taking place for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, based in Florida, was escorted by a large group of motorcycle riders from the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum to the Capitol City for the first Trail of Honor since 2019.

The traveling wall is a 3/5 scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D. C.

The group escorting the wall was made up of law enforcement officers from several departments and many veterans.

The Trail of Honor is a multi-day event held each year at and around the Jackson Harley-Davidson dealership.

It features several military exhibits and battle re-enactments.

“We have encampments from all the conflicts we’ve ever been in and it’s just an incredible event,” said David McElroy, director of the Trail of Honor. “The Mississippi National Guard will have a bunch of static equipment on display, so you can come up and touch it and look at it and see what our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines serve in and go into combat in.”

This year, the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is accompanied by the “Some Gave All” 9/11 Tribute.

“This is the first year that tribute has been there and it covers everybody from 9/11,” McElroy said. “There’s a couple of fire department and police pieces from New York City.”

The escort group left Camp Shelby at noon, but before it did, many participants toured the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum.

Among those taking a tour for the first time was Mike Rose.

He’s a retired U.S. Army Special Forces medic and a Vietnam Veteran who is also a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

He said he’s happy to be taking part in events like the Trail of Honor.

“They’re important for the community,” Rose said. “They’re important to say thank you for all those people who have been long gone and to keep their memories and their name alive.”

The opening ceremony of the Trail of Honor will take place Saturday at 9 a.m.

Many Trail of Honor participants will also welcome hundreds of motorcycle riders Monday, who are participating in the “Run for the Wall.”

That group is passing through Jackson on its way to Washington, D.C., for the Memorial Day holiday.

Copyright 2022 WDAM. All rights reserved.

Want more WDAM 7 news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.