{"id":1468,"date":"2026-04-04T12:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T12:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fathersvineyard.org\/militaryministry\/?p=1468"},"modified":"2026-04-07T01:13:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T01:13:58","slug":"the-wall-that-heals-bringing-healing-home-to-rutherford-county-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fathersvineyard.org\/militaryministry\/2026\/04\/04\/the-wall-that-heals-bringing-healing-home-to-rutherford-county-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The Wall That Heals: Bringing Healing Home to Rutherford County"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Wall That Heals Rutherford County, NC Committee, in partnership with our official host site, Isothermal\u00a0Community College<\/em> (ICC), and in collaboration with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, (VVMF) – the organization that founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982, will bring something sacred\u00a0 to Rutherford County\u2014The Wall That Heals<\/a>, the official three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial commonly referred to as, The Wall, in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

Accompanying the replica is the Mobile Education Unit, an interactive exhibit that connects the names on The Wall to the lives behind them – sharing personal stories, historical context, and the lasting impact of the Vietnam War on those who served and their families.<\/p>\n

Watch 30-second video overview, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The exhibit will be open 24 hours a day, beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11, closing at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 15, offering continuous opportunity for reflection, remembrance, and healing.<\/p>\n

As part of this powerful experience, our community will have the honor of hearing from a voice that reflects the lasting impact of The Wall That Heals, Cindy Stonebraker Reed, President\/Founding Director of Mission POW-MIA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cindy’s connection to The Wall is deeply personal. Her father, Lt. Col. Kenneth A. Stonebraker’s aircraft was shot down near the Laotian border near Quang Binh Province, Vietnam on 10\/28\/1968. Cindy had just turned 6 when her father went missing. For Cindy, The Wall is the closest place she can go to visit her father, who is one of the 1,566 still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n

Today, she carries that loss into purpose – traveling the country to ensure that those still missing, and the families who still wait, are never forgotten.<\/p>\n

For many in our community, traveling hundreds of miles to Washington, D.C. is simply not possible. Bringing The Wall home ensures that every veteran, every family member, and every member of our community has the opportunity to stand before the names, make a connection, and experience this powerful tribute right here at home.<\/p>\n

And for loved ones like Cindy, it becomes something even more profound – a place to visit, a place to remember, and the closest place she has to her father.<\/p>\n

This is more than a memorial – it is a moment to remember, honor, and heal.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As we prepare to welcome The Wall That Heals, we are especially committed to sharing the mission of VVMF’s In Memory<\/a> program, which honors Vietnam veterans who returned from the war, then later passed away. Since the war, nearly 1.8 million Vietnam veterans have passed, yet less than 8,000 have been formally recognized through this national program.<\/p>\n

Bringing The Wall That Heals to Rutherford County allows us to help change that.<\/p>\n

We invite families and friends to ensure their loved one’s service is recognized, not only during the time The Wall is here, but through a lasting online remembrance that can be visited from anywhere across the country for generations to come.<\/p>\n

Because every name matters. Every story deserves to be remembered, and every veteran deserves to be honored.<\/p>\n

This is how we bring healing home. This is how we say the words that should have been said decades ago, Welcome Home<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Why It Matters:\u00a0The Wall That Heals allows our community to:<\/em><\/p>\n