Healing at The Wall

Melissa McClendon

"I know it’s 12 lines down," said Thelma McCurry of Chouteau as she pointed to her son’s name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall in Locust Grove Friday evening.

McCurry lost her son James "Jimmy" Russell Isbell in the Vietnam War on July 5, 1967.

"He was drafted at 19. He went to school in Ponca City. We had his funeral services in Ponca City and buried him in Yale," McCurry said.

McCurry, who remembers her son as a "fantastic person who loved life," is not the only loved one searching for their lost soldier’s name on The Wall this weekend.

"It’s healing for a lot of people that really need it," said volunteer and Vietnam Veteran Danny Henson of Locust Grove. Henson said it was a trip to the Wall when it visited Tahlequah that helped him heal.

The Wall also offers a chance for younger generations to learn about the Vietnam War. Henson said he feels it is important for school kids to know about the war and what veterans experienced.

Henson and many other veterans have volunteered at The Wall since its opening Thursday evening at Leonard Yarbrough Stadium in Locust Grove. The Wall has been open 24 hours a day and will remain open until it is dismantled Monday.

Throughout the weekend there have been ceremonies to recognize the veterans and those who gave their lives. Project coordinator Marsha Whalen said the opening ceremony brought many in attendance to tears.

"I’ve never seen anything so good in my life," said Whalen. "Ben Sherrer and Deputy Chief Grayson gave the best speeches I’ve ever heard. They were all about honoring

veterans. Even the third graders sat quietly and were listening."

A Flag Retirement ceremony was held Friday evening with many veterans on hand to honor the flag. Saturday a Freedom Ceremony was followed by a Biker Ride-In and a closing ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m., today.

Visitors who visit The Wall are offered help finding names of soldiers. An information center has been set up on the east side of the football field. Anyone looking for a name can visit the information center and a volunteer will look up the name on a computer. Once the name is located a print out is given to the visitor with the soldier’s name, location on the panel, where the soldier was from, the soldier’s rank and the date of their death. There are also volunteers available to help visitors then find the name etched in stone on the wall.

Marion Henson and McCurry have been working to take care of the volunteers. Henson said they have a lot of help from the women of the Little Rock Free Will Baptist Church and many other volunteers. Like Henson, McCurry and her daughter, Brenda Roper have been cooking for the volunteer tent. Jane Moore and Nora Miller have also been there pitching in to take care of the volunteers. Several area restaurants have also cooked food for the volunteer tent.

Danny Henson said many veterans have also volunteered to help at the event.

"They’re just good people. They’ve been a big help," Danny Henson said.

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