Take time to visit The Wall that Heals in Great Falls

High on the list of things in life that leave scars is warfare.

American involvement in the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s cost 58,220 American military men and women their lives, and created large rifts in this country's society. Young people protested the war; other Americans supported the conflict.

One object that helped close some of the figurative wounds opened by the Vietnam War was the official Vietnam Veterans Memorial, known to some simply as The Wall, in Washington, D.C., founded by Jan Scruggs.

The memorial, dedicated in 1982, had a profound effect on many visitors, and it became one of the most frequented memorials in the nation's capital. The wall lists the members of the U.S. armed forces who died in the war, including 267 Montanans.

A traveling, half-size version of the Vietnam memorial comes to the city this week. Called The Wall that Heals, it will be in Great Falls through Sunday.

It's the only version of the wall that carries the endorsement of its founder.

Montana ranked second among the states on a 2007 list of residents who were veterans, behind only Alaska as the state with the most veterans per capita. There is no questioning the patriotism and support for the military found in the Treasure State. The 2007 rankings showed Montana with more than 100,000 veterans, or about 10 percent of the state's population of 1 million people.

The traveling exhibit, located in Elk's Riverside Park between the horseshoe pits and tennis courts, will be assembled today. It can provide a sense of healing as visitors look at the extent of the sacrifice made by those listed on the wall, as well as their relatives and friends.

On the wall, the list of names begins at the wall's apex, as the first and last casualties of the war meet in the middle of the display.

There are many stories from the wall in D.C., from wartime enemies who met at the wall and reached a personal accommodation, to loved ones who appreciated respect shown for those who died, to the Vietnam veteran from Missoula who was able to meet Scruggs near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 2012.

We believe a visit to The Wall that Heals is worthwhile not only for folks who were alive during the Vietnam War, but it also may have things to say to more recent generations, and people searching for peace and healing.

The healing wall opens to the public Thursday morning; an opening ceremony takes place at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Visit the wall through dusk Sunday in Elk's Riverside Park on Park Drive North.

— Tribune editorial board