Before “The Wall That Heals,” a traveling three-quarters scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, is temporarily installed at the Jefferson County International Airport from Sept. 11-14, its arrival will receive its own escort on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Jim Kelly, who’s been actively involved in helping to coordinate the event, noted that the escorts are currently slated to include American Legion riders from Marvin G. Shields Post 26 in Port Townsend and Albert C. Kean Post 149 in Bremerton, as well as Elks Riders of Port Townsend and Port Angeles, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Rakers Car Club.

The procession will start at American Legion Post 26 in Port Townsend at 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 9, proceeding down Highways 20 and 19 to the airport, with recommended viewing areas along Sims Way, at the traffic circle at Rainier Street, and at the intersection of Highways 20 and 19.

Kelly emphasized that this procession is not a parade, but a solemn affair, so he requested that observers along the route be appropriately solemn and respectful, removing their hats and placing their hands over their hearts for the procession’s passing.

Once “The Wall That Heals” arrives at the airport, Kelly noted that it will take a full day to assemble on site, which is scheduled to be followed by an opening ceremony at 10 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 11, after which it will remain open to the public at the airport, around the clock, until 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, which will be briefly preceded by a closing ceremony at 1:45 p.m.

On Friday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m., an Agent Orange candlelight ceremony is set to be conducted, which Kelly identified as one of the ways in which “The Wall That Heals” is intended to speak to the survivors of the Vietnam war as much as to honor the fallen.

The Port of Port Townsend, which operates the airport, is co-sponsoring this visit by “The Wall That Heals,” along with American Legion Post 26 and Port Hadlock Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7498.

The 375-foot replica of the Washington, D.C., wall holds the names of 58,281 service members killed in Vietnam, just like the full-sized permanent memorial.

Those names include six Jefferson County service members who were killed in Vietnam, among them Marvin G. Shields of Discovery Bay, the only U.S. Navy Seabee ever to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Shields was killed in action on June 10, 1965, a date that has its own significance for Kelly, who graduated from the West Point U.S. Military Academy on that date.

While a number of Kelly’s fellow West Point graduates also didn’t make it back from the war, Kelly noted that many Vietnam veterans returned with lasting physical, mental and emotional wounds, to a “less than welcoming environment” in their home country.

The traveling exhibit, which will include an education center inside the exhibit’s trailer, has never before been to this part of Washington state, and has two stops in the state, at Spokane and Ellensburg, before coming to Jefferson County.

Kelly explained that the sponsor of “The Wall That Heals,” the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, also aims to honor those Vietnam veterans who suffered from Agent Orange exposure, PTSD and other ailments as a result of their service, through an “In Memory” digital screen that will appear beside the wall.

“It’s the same reason people are invited to do rubbings of the names on the wall,” Kelly said. “We recognize that this war didn’t just affect the veterans, but also their families and close friends. There’s a broad range of emotions and reactions, of stories that have been lived with but not talked about for years.”

Kelly added that volunteers to assist with the event are still needed, which will include setting up the installation on Sept. 10, starting at 8:30 a.m., and monitoring the wall during its stay, with volunteer training scheduled Sept. 10 at 6 p.m., at the airport site.

Every evening, Taps will be played at sunset.

Volunteers are also needed to take down the installation and load it back up into its trailer, starting at 2 p.m. on Sept. 14.

Visit the American Legion Post 26 site at ptal26.org for more information.