Estrella by Newland Communities will host “The Moving Wall™,” a half-size traveling replica of the Washington D.C. Vietnam Veterans Memorial beginning at noon on October 2 through noon on October 6 and is free to all attending. The Wall will be open 24 hours a day with volunteers stationed at The Wall from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily with a directory to assist guests in finding names. The monument was created by John Devitt, Norris Shears, Gary Haver and other Vietnam veterans to share the powerful experience of visiting the memorial with those who may never have an opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. Standing six-feet tall and 252-feet long, The Wall’s memorial site will encompass approximately half an acre of land just to the west of Starpointe Residents Club at 17665 W. Elliot Rd in Estrella.

“The Estrella community is both humbled and honored to host The Moving Wall Exhibit,” said Bill Olson, Senior Vice President and Division Manager for Newland Communities. “We encourage everyone across the Valley to attend one of the many ceremonies being held in remembrance of our Vietnam veterans.”

The Moving Wall was specifically designed to honor the 2.7 million men and women who served in the U.S. Military in Vietnam. As of January 2014, The Wall contains approximately 58,283 names – 1,300 of those are still unaccounted for prisoners of war (POWs) and missing in action (MIA). It takes 66 hours to read every name on the wall and volunteers will be reciting these names over a P.A. system 24 hours a day from the start to the finish of the exhibit.

A series of ceremonies will be held, including:

  • Opening Ceremony – October 3 at 9 a.m.
  • POW/MIA remembrance and candlelight vigil – October 4 at 6 p.m.
  • Sunday sunrise prayer service – October 5 at 6:30 a.m.
  • Closing ceremony – October 6 at 9 a.m.

“The emotion generated by the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. is so powerful and it needed to be shared with the rest of the world,” said Tim Rilley, a former Marine, Vietnam veteran and Estrella resident. “We are very excited to have The Moving Wall in Estrella to share that feeling with veterans and visitors on its stop in Arizona.”

Over the past two years, the community association management team from CCMC has worked with residents, Newland Communities and the City of Goodyear to realize the dream of brining The Moving Wall to Estrella. The team’s goal is to create experiences that connect people, turn neighbors into friends and demonstrate the power of community. Estrella is proud to pay respect to the country’s veterans as the host-site of The Moving Wall. For more information and to find full schedule of events visit www.lifeinestrella.com. To make a donation please contact the Moving Wall Foundation at 906-885-5599.