Vietnam War exhibition a good opportunity

Sussex County folks have an excellent opportunity over the next few days to gain a greater understanding of the Vietnam War and the memorial wall constructed in Washington, D.C., to celebrate those who gave their lives in that conflict. Delaware Tech in Georgetown is hosting The Wall That Heals Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica and Mobile Education Center from Friday through Sunday, Sept. 2-4, on the lawn by the Carter Partnership Center. It is free for everyone to visit.

The Wall That Heals exhibition features a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It is approximately 250 feet long and displays the 58,249 names of those killed or missing in action from the conflict. Accompanying the wall is also a Mobile Education Center telling the story of the Vietnam War era and the memorial.

It will be open to the public 24 hours a day Sept. 2 and 3 and until 4 p.m. Sept. 4, before it moves on. Hundreds of thousands of American soldiers served in Vietnam. While thousands came home in coffins, thousands more came home with permanent injuries - physical and mental - that scarred their lives. The widely unpopular and protested war made for chilly receptions and bitter memories for many soldiers who fought as draftees and volunteers.

Efforts in the decades since, appropriately, have helped separate the political controversies from the sacrifices of those who served. The Memorial Wall exhibition is one of those efforts, and we're fortunate it's coming to Sussex where we can gain a greater perspective on a war that shaped our nation's modern history. For more information on the exhibit, go to www.vvmf.org/twth.

On a distantly related note, Delaware's 2016-17 hunting season opened this week. The first few days of dove season, when hundreds of hunters fire shotguns at flying birds, may sound like the beginning of another war, but be assured it is not. Hunting and gathering are hardwired into Sussex County history. Safety, regard for neighbors and respect for private property must remain paramount as more and more people come to live in Sussex.