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Vietnam Memorial Wall replica rolls into Brandon

Staff photo by KEVIN BRADY

Veterans and volunteers at Hillsboro Memorial Gardens in Brandon Tuesday assemble a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. The 8-foot high, 240-foot long monument will remain on display at the cemetery around the clock from 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

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By LAURA FRAZIER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 27, 2009

Jim Edwards rode in a motorcade Tuesday to pay his respects to seven comrades he lost while serving in Vietnam.

"This ride is a way to honor my friends," he said. "I was lucky enough to come back."

Edwards and other vets lined up at noon to escort a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall through the gates at Hillsboro Memorial Gardens on State Road 60. Volunteers assembled the 8-foot high, 240-foot long monument at the cemetery, where it will remain on display around the clock from 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

The reflective, black surface of the three-quarter scale replica is inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 servicemen and women who died or are missing in Vietnam.

The wall was created in 1990 by the Dignity Memorial network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers as a service to those who might never see the monument in Washington DC. To date, the replica has traveled to more than 200 cities across the country.

Organizers will provide pencils and paper for visitors who wish to make rubbings of names etched on the wall.

Beth Rodriguez, general manager of Hillsboro Memorial Gardens, said the wall gives visitors a chance to reflect and heal.

"We are very pleased to be able to share it with the community," Rodriguez said.

The exhibit opens at 7 p.m. Thursday with a candlelight remembrance service presented by the Veterans Museum of Hillsborough County.

Hillsboro Memorial Gardens is at 2323 SR 60 in Brandon. Parking at the cemetery is limited, so free shuttles will run from the east parking lot at Westfield Brandon mall on various days and times.

Admission is free. For more information, call (813) 689-8121 or go to www.facebook.com/dignitymemorialvietnamwall..

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