Virginia Beach to Mark the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War

Virginia Beach will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and honor the country’s prisoners of war and those missing in action (POW-MIA) with special events planned for Nov. 7-11 at and near the Virginia Beach Convention Center, 1000 19th St. 

Events 

The Moving Wall 
The Moving Wall, a half-size traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is the highlight of the week. It will be free and open to the public to visit 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Nov. 7-11, inside the Convention Center. The Wall features 58,000 names etched into 74 separate panels and is 252.8 feet long. Volunteers from Hampton Roads organizations that serve veterans will be at the Wall to assist visitors in locating names and to provide security.  

An official opening ceremony, 10 a.m., Friday, Nov. 7, will feature music, Virginia Beach Mayor Robert M. “Bobby” Dyer and the laying of wreaths at the Moving Wall.  It will be livestreamed on the City's website at VirginiaBeach.gov/media.

Tidewater Veterans Day Parade and Ceremony 
The display will coincide with the Annual Tidewater Veterans Day Parade, which will start at 9 a.m., Nov. 11, from 16th Street and Atlantic Avenue in Virginia Beach. The parade concludes at the Tidewater Veterans Memorial, across from the Convention Center, and is followed by the formal ceremony and a luncheon to honor veterans. Tickets are required for the luncheon. Visit www.HRCVO.org for information on purchasing tickets. 

Displays 

Displays outside the Convention Center will include Vietnam-era helicopters, military vehicles from U.S. conflicts, and a mobile recording studio.  

North Carolina Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Vehicle Display   
Three helicopters — a Huey gunship, a Huey "slick," and a OH-6 Cayuse Observation Helicopter — will be on static display and staffed by the North Carolina Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Nov. 10, in the parking lot on the west side of the Virginia Beach Convention Center. The helicopters will be in the parade, and then they return to static display, noon to 5 p.m., Nov. 11, in the parking lot. 

Ghosts of the Battlefield Vehicle Display   
One vehicle from each conflict — World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and Desert Storm — will be on display and staffed from the Ghosts of the Battlefield Museum, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Nov. 10; and 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Nov. 11, in front of the Virginia Beach Convention Center.  

Americans in Wartime Experience - Voices of Freedom Project   
A mobile recording studio and vehicle display from the Voices of Freedom project of the Americans in Wartime Experience Museum will be available noon to 5 p.m., Nov. 10, in the parking lot on the west side of the Virginia Beach Convention Center.

About 10 one-hour interviews are possible. Combat veterans of any past conflict who are interested in recording their stories in an interview are asked to contact Dave Huffman of Mission: POW-MIA at dave.huffman@missionpowmia.org. 

Virginia Beach Veterans Week

Virginia Beach’s Veterans Week events have been designated as a national commemoration event by The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration, a national program authorized by Congress to mark the 50th anniversary of the war.

The events are co-sponsored by the City of Virginia Beach Mayor’s Committee for Veterans (MCV), the Hampton Roads Council of Veterans Organizations (HRCVO) and Mission: POW-MIA, a nonprofit organization based in Chesapeake that works to achieve the fullest possible accounting of missing and unaccounted-for Americans from past conflicts. 

Stay up to date with the most current information as more details and events are confirmed by visiting VirginiaBeach.gov/VeteransWeek.