Healing remains as Moving Wall departs

As the sun set across the Duck River, Gene Williams stood alone in a field and watched as one of his greatest accomplishments rolled away.

Gene Williams (T-G Photo by John Philleo) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall had shipped out.

"It was an awesome experience," Williams reflected after the last truck pulled off. "It was a challenge, really, but I enjoyed every minute of it -- even the bad spots."

For decades, Williams had harbored a dream to bring together the families of Bedford County's fallen Vietnam warriors.

Through hard work, dedication, and a lot of "prayer and hope," Williams' dream materialized in the form of the Moving Wall coming to Shelbyville.

"God gave me a vision 30-some years ago to bring these families together, and I was finally able to do it," he said.

He began the process last year after getting the idea from a Kansas couple, and it was a bumpy road for Williams, he said.

"There were times when some people would have thrown up their hands and quit," he said.

"When you start, you don't know what you're doing. You just jump in there and get your feet wet. After I took the step of faith, everything just came together and the money started coming in."

Williams specifically gave thanks for pastor Doug Dezotell, of Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church, for praying with him on many occasions as he struggled to overcome the obstacles he faced in making his dream a reality.

The memorial is a scaled-down replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., and was first displayed in 1984 in Texas. Since then, it has traveled to more than 410 locations and has been viewed by millions of people.

And now, thanks to Williams, many hundreds of Bedford Countians are among those who have had a chance to grieve before its stark face.

The Moving Wall was erected in Shelbyville's Riverwalk Park last Thursday, a candleight vigil was led by Rolling Thunder Thursday night, and an opening ceremony featuring an impressive lineup of dignitaries and an Apache helicopter flyover was held Saturday.

Williams estimates that about a thousand people came through Shelbyville's Riverwalk Park Sunday to view the memorial, and said hundreds more visited Monday, including several busloads of children from Bedford County schools and Victory Baptist Academy.

The original plan was to hold a closing ceremony Monday afternoon, but because of the time change, darkness came on too quickly and they had to pack up the wall and ship it on to its next location.

But as he stood in the empty field, Williams was flushed with a sense of accomplishment.

"I am tickled to death with the way everything turned out," he said. "Everything was tremendous."

Throughout the entire venture, Williams has sought no credit for himself.

"It's not about me; it's about those 58,260 men (and women) on that wall."

Bedford County lost 12 men to the Vietnam War: Charles Gilbert Tucker, Carl Rogers Stovall, Ben McCullough Jr., Donald Ray Stephenson, Hu Blakemore Rhodes, Clifton Lee Bowen, Roy Wayne Rich, Larry Wayne Neill, Jerry Michael Lovell, Charles Crawford Napper, Kenneth Bryant Beckman and Larry Eugene Mullins.

Williams related the experiences of Irene Mullins and Ruth McCullough, two mothers of fallen Vietnam soldiers who were able to find some closure at the Moving Wall.

"The healing they had -- the peace they found within their hearts -- meant more than anything to me," he said. "That's what this wall is about ... it's about healing.

"Nothing else needs to be said."