The Wall That Heals: Healing Us All

The plan to bring back The Wall That Heals started in January of 2023. However, the idea of bringing it back really goes back to October 11, 2015, when the Wall left town after the first visit. We knew it could not be a onetime occurrence. We also knew getting the Wall a second time was rare. I guess the Vietnam Memorial Fund thought our efforts in 2015 was worth another visit.

The event turned out, by all accounts, to be very successful. The Vietnam Veterans we spoke to were very appreciative of the efforts.

The collaboration and cooperation between the Lodge, Town of Manchester, CT Veterans Day Race, Veterans Day Race, Veterans Organizations, Business and Industry, Civic organizations and the citizens of Manchester and the region should serve as a model for successful events and celebrations in the future.

While every department of the Town of Manchester contributed at a high level, I would like to give special thanks to Chris Silver for his ongoing accommodations to insure Charter Oak Park would be a welcoming home of The Wall That Heals.

Special thanks to Norm Lablanc of Trantolo and Trantolo for coordinating the State Police, and Manchester Woman’s Club, Daughters of the American Revolution, Paradiso Insurance, Eversource, US Coast Guard Academy Cadets and Veterans’ Councilors.

To Manchester Police, Fire and EMS CERT and Fire Police for their dedication to this event and our Town.

And the team from Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund: Tim, Jennifer, Herb and Nikki. Their guidance and direction was invaluable.

Thank you to the tireless efforts of our Committee:

Bob Bycholski did a phenomenal job coordinating with the Town of Manchester Administration and Departments, as well as bringing in civic organizations to participate.

Lynn Sottile with her promotional and design skills, her relationship with our Gold Star Families, downtown businesses and restaurants, and so many other contacts filled so many requirements.

Tana Parseliti coordinated with the schools to provide 1400 middle school students an educational tour.and used her formidable contacts to resolve issues or fill voids.

Jamie and Peter Depaola brought in the CT Veterans Day Race as our charitable partner and did a masterful job filling all the required volunteer spots. They were instrumental in getting the CT Commissioner For Veterans Affairs as our keynote speaker, and brought in other resources from the military and veteran groups.

James Amaro used his knowledge of the military to get us our flyover, CT National Guard Honor Guard, and Military, set up live online documents and coordinated with Tom Topping for our social Media presence. As Manchester Veterans Advisory Committee Chairman, he was able to communicate with our local veterans’ organizations.

Tom Topping in addition to social media, worked on fundraising and seeking out resources to aid in the effort. He brought in Tom Tomko to assist with providing power and other resources.

Jay Weingart and Greg Kitchen put together an escort with 236 motorycles and made invaluable contributions to the planning.

Bob Burgess represented the Vietnam Veterans of America, to ensure our efforts were properly focused and helped get the word out to insure the best possible turnout.

Chris Terry worked diligently to ensure the ceremony setup, escort luncheon and VIP reception volunteers were all ready for their events.

Kathy Gallo tracked action items and tracked action items from our committee meetings. She secured all the supplies for the site and volunteer tents and made sure small details were covered.

Johnny Bowden kept up our website. Jake Jacobs audited the finances. Cindy Young coordinated with the Lodge Officers.

Our Lodge Exalted Ruler, Holly June Jacobs, was engaged throughout the planning and execution of the event and lent her emergency management skills to the operational plan.

And while sometimes things on the committee got contentious, the healing aspect of The Wall overcame us as well. In the end, we maintained our focus, completed our mission, and provided an event we can be proud of.

It has been an honor to be a part of this committee and to serve with each and every one of you.

-Gerry Gallo Lodge Veterans Chair