Today the closing ceremony for commemorating the Moving Vietnam Wall Memorial will take place.

The ceremony will be at approximately 2 p.m. or 2: 30 p.m. The observance will put a close on what has been a monumental week for Selma.

The replica has graced Selma’s presence the past seven days and has been the focal point of our week.

The Wall has done much for our community, including stirring hearts and bringing out tears from its visitors.

Many have spent hours reading through the names and others came looking for fallen loved ones.

Since the wall was erected in the Lions Field Park on Monday, April 4, there have been more than 1,000 visitors who viewed the replica.

The wall itself contains the names of 58,244 brave young men who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of our country.

The attendance this past week is proof that those men will not be forgotten.

This has been an emotional time for our community, a time of remembrance and a time of mourning. We have shared this monument with our surrounding communities not for the purpose of bringing in their tax dollars but to show our respect.

Numerous volunteers should be credited for bringing the wall to Selma. The arrival of the wall is a direct result of the work provided by those volunteers.

Thanks to every person and organization that contributed time and prayers for this successful week and project.

Selmians should show their respect today by taking time out of their schedules to say goodbye to the wall. It will be a goodbye only to the monument but not to the names of those who lost their lives. They will be with us forever.