For the past few months the local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America has tried to find a location for its upcoming reunion. Now the group has found a place in Mount Airy and has made plans to bring in the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall.

The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1021 will host a veterans reunion from June 10 to 14 at the old Bassett Furniture factory location on Sheep Farm Road. The veterans group has teamed up with Cruise In For Christ to bring a traveling smaller-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to the reunion.

The traveling wall will be escorted into Mount Airy on June 9 by Rolling Thunder, the official motorcycle club of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). The cyclists will then help set up the nearly 300-foot-long traveling memorial. The wall will remain at the reunion site throughout the five-day event.

Clay Honeycutt with Cruise In For Christ saw the traveling wall a few years ago when it was in Dayton, Ohio. He said, “If you ever see a wall like this, you’ll never forget it.”

Honeycutt called it a healing wall and said it inspired him to write. He is glad it is coming to Mount Airy.

“There’s a lot of people here that would never get to see the memorial in Washington, so we’re bringing it to them,” said Honeycutt.

When Honeycutt saw the wall, he spent time looking for the name of a local man who had been killed in the war.

“It will be very emotional,” he continued. “The first time I saw it, it was very emotional.”

The VVA was worried that it would have to move the reunion to a location outside of Surry County if it couldn’t find a suitable piece of property to house the reunion and the wall. But the Bassett factory property has 119 acres of gravel or asphalt, perfect for the reunion.

“We couldn’t move forward until we had a location to have it,” said Dan Hilton, a VVA organizer for the event.

He is glad the reunion will take place in Mount Airy. Hilton said, “It’s our hometown and we’re proud to be able to do it here.”

Now that the group has a location for the reunion, it is moving forward with tentative plans for the event. At the reunion there will be food vendors, military items on display such as helicopters, and music stages. There will be one stage featuring a variety of music styles and another stage with Christian music. Cruise In For Christ plans to bring in five Christian groups, including Duane Lee Proctor, an award-winning vocalist.

“We will have music for all types,” said Hilton.

He also is trying to bring in a small children’s circus and other activities for kids.

Cruise In For Christ will hold a cruise-in and car show at the reunion. Special trophies will be given out to the winners in honor of the soldiers who were killed in the Vietnam War.

Hilton doesn’t know how many people to expect for the reunion. He said similar events have brought in anywhere from 3,500 to 35,000 people.

“If we get some of the numbers we’re expecting ... everything is going to be impacted. They’re going to be coming and looking and buying merchandise,” said Hilton.

He believes it will help the local economy, since people will dine at local restaurants, stay in hotels, and shop at stores. And the local VVA chapter plans to hold the reunion each year, in hopes of bringing together veterans and helping the area.

“It gives all of us veterans a chance to come back and be with our comrades,” said Hilton.

Veterans are encouraged to bring their families, said Hilton, “To explain to them, the younger generation. To let them know a little bit about what it means to be a patriot.”

Veterans from all wars and all eras are welcome to come to the reunion. The public is welcome as well. Veterans will probably get in to the reunion for free, but a small fee will be charged for the public.

A camping area will be set up near the reunion. Hilton said many veterans drive motor homes to these events. He said camping prices will be comparable to that of other campgrounds.

Now that a location has been selected and plans are set to bring the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall to Mount Airy, the VVA is working on finding sponsors and donations to help make the event a success.

Hilton stressed, “It’s for all veterans, all eras, with no discrimination.”

Contact Meghann Evans at mevans@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.