A contingent of Keuka College students got a hands-on history lesson this week as they helped install the popular Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., in downtown Penn Yan.
“It was definitely hard work, but I like that everybody comes together to help each other get it done,” said Lexoni Russo of Medina, N.Y., a first-year Nursing major at Keuka College. “When you see the people go up to the wall and find the names of their people, I think it’s a beautiful thing.”
Lexoni was among 20 students and mentors in the College’s Higher Education Opportunity Program who joined three dozen or so community volunteers on Wednesday to help turn the Penn Yan Fireman’s Field into a temporary memorial.
The 375-foot-long wall includes the names of more than 58,000 American service personnel who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. It’s the memorial’s only New York state installation this year and the first time since 2002 the replica has been in Yates County.
“It’s so rewarding to give back to everyone who has fought for us,” said Early Childhood Education major Bri Wickline of Rochester. “My boyfriend’s grandfather was in Vietnam. One of my grandfathers was in Vietnam, too. We learned so much and now have a little connection to it.”
Keuka College students, from left, Drew Williams from Brooklyn, Emani Adams from Buffalo, and Jamya Washington from Rochester help install lighting fixtures on the Wall That Heals. The Wall is open to visitors 24/7 during its installation at the Penn Yan Fireman's Field.
Instruction about the Vietnam era came courtesy of Penn Yan resident Herbie Snyder, a Vietnam veteran who met with the HEOP students prior to the memorial’s installation.
“Herb is a great guy,” said transfer student Drew Williams, a Criminology and Criminal Justice major from Brookyln. “I learned how he felt about the war, how things happened, and, especially, the meaning of these names.”
Those names held special significance for Madalynn LeClair, a first-year Biology major from Pittsford, N.Y. She believes one of them is a relative.
PFC William George Le Clair was killed in combat on Jan. 31, 1969, a little more than three months past his 21st birthday. While much of that side of her family history has been lost to the ages, Madalynn said, relatives are now researching to confirm that William was, indeed, the brother of her grandfather.
Madalynn carried the panel that included William Le Clair’s name during Wednesday’s installation. She said the emotions were strong, as they were with all the panels they installed.
“I was just really grateful for all the people that served and died for us in Vietnam,” she said. “Even when I was carrying and accompanying other people who had families here, carrying panels, I kind of just had my hands down and my head down while I was helping them. It was a really emotional thing, but it was also empowering to help people through this process. I was glad to be part of it.”
Herbie Snyder knows that feeling. The longtime community volunteer – he and his wife, Lauren, were awarded Keuka College’s Stork Award for community service last year – made sure to carry a panel that included the names of two Marines who were killed on a mission he took part in.
“I carried that panel and I looked down and his name was right there by my hand,” he said. “It’s like Wall Magic that happens. No matter how many times you try to see it, the emotion just …”
He finished the sentence with a shake of his head.
Keuka College's HEOP contingent joins Herb Snyder, fifth from left in the back row, in losing in front of the Wall That Heals.
“It’s not just about healing the veterans,” he added, “it’s about healing everyone.”
Volunteering for the Wall That Heals is just one of several efforts HEOP students are taking part in over the summer. The College’s HEOP initiative, which provides additional academic and financial support, includes four weeks of pre-semester programming on campus.
Keuka College Chaplain Eric Detar, who took the reins as director of HEOP in June, said off-campus instructional elements have been bolstered, enabling students to earn Field Period® credits. A trip to the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence in Rochester, N.Y., and a hike along the gorge at Watkins Glen are also on the summer itinerary.
“I love the program,” said Emani Adams, a Biology major from Buffalo. “I love all the people that I’m meeting and the connections that I’m making. I feel like everybody has been an inspiration.”
As for the memorial, she said it was important, as well as instructive, to take part in the installation and to learn some of the Vietnam era’s history.
“I wanted to respect the tradition and respect everything that’s going on here,” Emani said. “It was a very beautiful experience to have; it’s like once in a lifetime.”
