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Photo courtesy of Dave Melancon.

17�Թ� will hold a brief ceremony to dedicate a permanent display of a retired wall panel from The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.  

The ceremony will be held on April 30 at 1 p.m. at the Lakeside Center Patio at 17�Թ� in Rhinelander. The Northwoods Honor Guard will perform a 21-gun salute. Light refreshments will be served. 

In May 2023, 17�Թ� was honored to host The Wall That Heals traveling exhibit. That year, 17�Թ� was one of only 31 sites across the country to host the exhibit, which honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in the Vietnam War. 

Retired First Sergeant Jeff Winkler, a Rhinelander Army veteran, visited the exhibit. "It was really nice to have the Wall here. It touched a lot of people. It was very cool, and I am glad it came to our community," said Winkler.  

“That experience brought our campus and community together in remembrance, reflection, and gratitude for those who served and sacrificed,” said Specialist Casey Lehmann, an Army veteran and 17�Թ� employee who coordinated the site visit. 

In appreciation for 17�Թ�’s role as a host site, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund gifted the College a retired wall panel. The steel display base that will hold the panel was created by veterans in a 17�Թ� community education class where veterans learned welding skills. 

“This panel will stand not only as a memorial, but as a lasting reminder of courage, sacrifice, and the cost of freedom,” Lehmann added.