Mark Russell raised his right hand to display his gold Class of 1973 Holy Cross ring.

It’s not what the media expected from the man who was instrumental in bringing the traveling wall, a smaller replica of the Vietnam Wall in Washington DC to India Point Park 12 years ago and will do it again in September at Rocky Point Park. The wall is owned by the American Veterans Traveling Tribute based in Bullard, Texas. 

But Russell had a point.  He told a gathering, at the Rocky Point fishing pier Tuesday Morning, he would never forget his graduation nor would that American military involvements in Vietnam ended that year.  Both his graduation from college and the return of the troops happened 50 years ago.

How those service men and women were treated on returning home was a theme to the remarks of those speaking at the pier.

Mayor Frank Picozzi said they were not given the honor and respect they deserved, finding it fitting that the traveling wall should be coming to the “most beautiful” spot in Rhode Island.

The 300-foot long wall bearing the names of 58,000 who lost their lives in Vietnam – 209 of them Rhode Islanders – will be positioned on the west side of the park near the parking lot accessible from the Palmer Avenue entrance.  The wall will arrive September 8 and be on display though Sept. 10.

McBride’s Pub on the East Side of Providence, which Russell owns and that sponsored the wall 12 years ago, the Gaspee Days Committee that Russell has chaired and remains intricately involved with and Operation Stand Down Rhode Island have joined to bring the wall to Rhode Island.

Russell said it will cost about $14,000 to bring the wall here. With the help of volunteers from the sponsors, Russell expects expenses will be minimal. Nonetheless, he is soliciting donations from friends, organizations and businesses with any excess funds going to Operation Stand Down.  Also, the names of donors may be listed on the T-shirt of the ZERO K Road Race sponsored annually by McBride’s Pub.

Erik Wallin, executive director of Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, talked of the organization’s work to find housing, employment and to address issued faced by veterans. Founded 30 years ago, OSDRI was instrumental in the planning and display of the Moving Wall 12 years ago. He called on us as a country, “to never let what happened to those veterans happen again.”

Vietnam War Veteran, former Warwick Mayor and retired Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice Francis X. Flaherty said “we have come a long way” in the last 15 to 20 years in appreciating and honoring military veterans. Yet, reflecting on the time of the war he said he still questions “what we were doing there and why we were there.”

Congressman Seth Magaziner talked of the community effort to bring the wall to the Ocean State and the importance of remembering “freedom is not free.”

“Welcome home,” said Kasim J. Yarn Rhode Island Director of Veterans Affairs. He said the wall “symbolizes the best we have” and that the sacrifices these men and women made can’t be measured.

Russell expects ceremonies involving military groups and the Pawtuxet Rangers will be held at the wall. Each day that the wall is here a ceremony will be conducted at 2:09 p.m. when the names of the 209 Rhode Islanders who lost their lives in the war will be read.