And taking a rubbing of the name and displaying that name for other people to see is a way of keeping faith with that person in terms of not forgetting their sacrifice. The main force behind the Moving Wall is a San Jose-based vet named John Devitt who saw the impact of the Washington memorial and knew there were many who couldn't afford to make the trip to see it. He is in charge of transporting it from place to place, where local vets are enlisted to put it up. Roxey says he sees the same emotions at each installation. Former soldiers and their families come to take rubbings of the names.
Many visitors also leave notes, flowers and other personal items.
That wasn't the reaction expected after architect Maya Lin first unveiled her plans for the monument in 1980. Not the noble sort of statue that veterans of other wars had gotten. John Roxey says even he had mixed emotions. It just took a year for everyone to see what she was trying to get across. Ohio native Maya Lin says she wasn't prepared for the taking and leaving of things at the Wall.