The mobile exhibit, The Wall That Heals, which features a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is coming to Oʻahu. It will be on display January 14–19 at the Great Lawn of the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu in Kapolei. The exhibit, which also includes a mobile Education Center, honors the more than 3 million Americans who served and bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Vietnam War. The exhibit will be open 24 hours a day until it is dismantled on January 19.
“After 30 years displaying in communities throughout the United States, few communities have worked as hard as Kapolei to host The Wall That Heals,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the nonprofit that founded The Wall. “Our events in Hilo and Maui were incredible, and we’re excited to bring the exhibit to Oʻahu.”
Community impact
Local efforts were championed by Vietnam veteran Eddie Freeman, co-chair of The Wall That Heals – Oʻahu. He noted that his past experience on other islands “deepened my resolve to bring this powerful memorial to Oʻahu. The selection of Kapolei, Hawaiʻi, by VVMF stands as one of the most significant events for the community in 2026.”
A related showing of “Ah Quon McElrath: The Struggle Never Ends” will be held 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on January 16, at the ʻUluʻulu film screening room in the James & Abigail Campbell Library. Presented by the Center for Labor Education and Research, the event will include comments from filmmakers Chris Conybeare and Joy Chong-Stannard on the film’s connection to the Vietnam War and today, along with a historical exhibit.
For more visit Ka Puna O Kaloʻi.
—By Zenaida Serrano Arvman
