The old Bassett Furniture plant is a long way from the jungles of Southeast Asia, but a replica of the Vietnam Wall now on display there is bringing the war’s impact close to home for Surry Countians.

For some, including veteran Mike King of Mount Airy, the appearance of the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall sparked memories of those who didn’t come back.

“It’s been 43 years,” King said as he carefully and somberly surveyed the vast list of names on the wall early Thursday afternoon, shortly after it was erected in the parking lot of the now-defunct furniture operation.

But still vivid and alive in the mind of King, who served in the Vietnam War from 1967-68 as a member of the U.S. Army, are two training officers he encountered during Officer Candidate School (OCS).

After the training was completed and members of his unit were dispatched to their respective duty assignments, King lost track of the two tactical, or “tac” officers, whom he had known. Then one day in 1967, he picked up a copy of the Stars and Stripes service publication, looked at a war-casualty listing and saw where they had been killed.

“They were artillery types,” King said, describing them as somewhat gung-ho. The pair of first lieutenants had the option of remaining in a safe area with commanding officers, but instead were in the thick of the fighting.

Irony permeates that memory for King, as it did so many aspects of a bitter conflict that claimed more than 58,000 American lives.

“Nobody in my OCS class got killed,” he said, “and I think nearly every one of us pulled a tour of duty over there.” Yet two of their training officers did.

Similar to many other people Thursday, King was scouring the wall trying to find the men’s names, which he described as “a-needle-in-a-haystack” situation. The names are grouped according to the date each person died or was listed as missing.

While some of those visiting the traveling wall were engrossed in their search of a sea of tiny names dotting a black background, others stood back and marveled at the list’s length.

The wall erected in the Bassett Furniture parking lot is a three-fifths-scale replica of the actual wall. It is 6 feet high at the center and spans almost 300 feet from end to end, looking eerily similar to the real Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington.

Based in Florida, the replica is transported to events around the country to remind people of the sacrifices made in Vietnam and literally bring the war to their doorsteps.

“How many of us were going to go to Washington?” King said Thursday of the opportunity. “It’s fantastic.”

The traveling wall’s appearance at the old Bassett plant off Park Drive is coinciding with a reunion sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans of America. The wall will be on display today through Monday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Special exhibits, including military helicopters, also are set up at the site in addition to vendors offering Vietnam-related merchandise.

During an opening ceremony for the gathering Thursday, members of the Pilot Mountain Veterans of Foreign Wars and Ladies Auxiliary offered a special tribute to those still listed as prisoners of war or missing in action. A speaker for the group says efforts should continue to track down soldiers unaccounted for, who must never be forgotten.

Local poet George Randall also read “Voices From the Wall” by Beverly Haire and one of his own creations, “A Tribute to All Who Gave Some and to Some Who Gave All.”

Before and after the ceremony, visitors seemed drawn to the wall of names and what it signifies, including gospel singer Dean Browder.

“I was looking to see if I recognized a name,” Browder said while gazing at a taller section of the wall. “I know several people from Surry County that died over there.”

Later, King, the veteran whose training officers were killed in the war, made a special point to thank Greg Welsh, a vet from Florida involved with the traveling exhibit, for bringing it to Mount Airy.

“We’re honored to be here,” Welsh said.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.