DeRidder, LA (War Memorial Civic Center) –
The following press release was previously issued on October 25, 2019 by Faith Scott, Director of the War Memorial Civic Center.
The Moving Wall, the nation’s traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial, will be on display next to the historic War Memorial Civic Center located at 250 West 7
th Street in DeRidder, Louisiana during Veterans Day Weekend.
The Moving Wall will open with a brief ceremony at 4 p.m. on November 7
th and will remain open 24 hours per day through November 11
th. We will honor Vietnam Veterans who gave their lives and their families will be recognized for their sacrifices. There are currently 58,307 names on The Moving Wall, 887 are from Louisiana including eight from Beauregard Parish.
This honored visit is being sponsored/hosted by the War Memorial Civic Center Board of Directors in collaboration with the City of DeRidder-City Hall, DeRidder Fire Department, DeRidder Police Department, Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office, Beauregard Parish Police Jury and volunteers/businesses from the community.
In 1982 John Devitt, a former helicopter door gunner and Army veteran, visited Washington, DC for the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and to participate in the National Salute to Vietnam Veterans. Devitt, founder and chairman of The Moving Wall and the Vietnam Combat Veterans, Ltd., wanted to capture the spirit he felt at the Washington, D.C. memorial and share it with people who couldn’t travel there to see the monument.
In 1983, he and some friends spent 22 months and about $28,000 in donations to build his original Plexiglas replica of the memorial. The replica wall is half the size of the Washington, D.C. Vietnam Veterans Memorial and measures 253 feet in length. The replica is now constructed of aluminum with the names silk-screened upon black panels. The replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial cost approximately $60,000 in donations.
The Moving Wall will be open to the public and no admission fee will be charged to visit. The DeRidder Police Department and the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office will be on site security each night.
Anyone wishing to volunteer or sponsor this event should contact Faith Scott, War Memorial Civic Center Director, at 337-463-7212 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. or email at
directorwmcc@gmail.com.
