400-foot ‘Welcome Home’ for Vietnam vets comes to town
This week, The Wall That Heals, a complete replica of Washington D.C.’s Vietnam War memorial, arrives in American Canyon, the sole Northern California stop on its 30th annual nationwide tour.
The 375-foot installation is expected to bring up to 1,000 people from all over the state to Independence Park for daily ceremonies and a chance to honor those whose names are inscribed on the towering granite panels.
“Hosting the wall in American Canyon is, first and foremost, an honor,” said Mayor Pierre Washington, who served 22 years in the U.S. Navy. American Canyon was one of more than 100 cities that applied to be a site on the Wall That Heals’ 31-stop tour.
For many Vietnam veterans who arrived home to anti-war protests and political turmoil that recognition is long overdue. “This will be the welcome home they never received,” Washington told the Current.
One of those is Washington’s own father, George Washington, a Vietnam veteran and airman with the Army Air Force. Washington plans to take time to honor his late father at the wall this week.
Washington, a member of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) chapter, said they’ve counted some 212 registered veterans in American Canyon. Around 72 of them are Vietnam veterans.
“The Wall that Heals — that’s what it does. It heals people who need it. It’s a living tribute,” Washington said. “This is a time to bring American Canyon and veterans together — just to pause, reflect, and remember.”
Listings for the Wall that Heals note that the site is being open 24 hours a day from Thursday, Oct. 16, to Sunday, Oct. 19. But the action will actually start on Oct. 14, the day the wall arrives.
According to volunteer Hugh Marquez, an American Canyon resident and veteran, the wall’s journey from I-80 in Vacaville to 20 Benton Way will be a “welcome home” of its own. He and other volunteers have their motorcycles and trucks ready to escort the wall as it reaches the Bay Area on its way from Clovis, Calif., in the Central Valley.
Saturday, Oct. 18, is what Marquez calls “the big one.” The day’s ceremonies include words from Napa County Supervisors Belia Ramos and U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena.
The wall’s arrival in American Canyon has meant a closer working relationship with other California cities that share deep military roots. Benicia Mayor Steve Young, Vallejo Mayor Andrea Sorce and Solano County supervisors have all been part of coordinating ceremonies for the wall. On Saturday, the Nurse Honor Guard will travel from Monterey to perform several songs honoring the approximately 7,000 nurses who served during Vietnam.
The Wall that Heals got its start in 1996, created by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the same nonprofit that built the national Vietnam memorial in Washington, D.C. Since 1996, the replica wall has been to nearly 800 communities across the U.S., traveling on big rigs owned by volunteer trucking companies.
“There were over 100 cities that interviewed and applied for the 2025 tour. We were selected,” said Alexandra Ikeda, the city’s deputy manager. The wall makes around 31 stops this year. “It’s an honor,” Ikeda added.
This year’s tour of the Wall that Heals coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War’s end. And with Veterans Day around the corner on Nov. 11, the timing is perfect for Napa’s veterans, who make up around 4% of Napa County’s population.
David Boone, a Vietnam veteran and resident of the Veterans Home of California in Yountville, said he will be driving himself and a couple friends down for the memorial. He’s prepared for things to get emotional.
“I was surprised at how it felt,” Boone told the Current. “It’s an emotional experience. I have two friends from high school on the wall.” Boone hopes that the Veterans Home, which houses upwards of 600 veterans, will arrange some form of transportation for residents to travel to American Canyon. Right now, it’s unclear if anything’s planned, but, he said, arriving together is an important part of the memorial.
“I was more comfortable having another Vietnam veteran with me,” Boone said of his second time visiting the Washington D.C. memorial. “You’re more comfortable with people who’ve experienced something similar.”
What: The Wall That Heals
When: Thursday, Oct. 16 – Sunday, Oct. 20
Where: Independence Park, 20 Benton Way, 94503
