Tuesday’s flag exchange at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. marked the beginning of a partnership between the nation’s capital and rural Perryville, as representatives of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington shook hands with board members of Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial Park (MNVM). 

Present at the event were U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Congressman Jason Smith (Mo.), and several members of the MNVM board of directors, including president Mike Lundy, vice president Todd Huber, secretary Don Fulford, treasurer Vicki Lundy, member Jim Eddleman, and NFL Hall of Famer and MNVM spokesman Jackie Smith.

“We left at three in the morning and flew directly into Washington,” said Mike Lundy. “We spent the whole day down there. They did an absolutely wonderful job.”

Blunt, Smith, and Lundy all spoke at the ceremonial send-off that began at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

“More than 1,400 Missourians fought and died for our country in Vietnam, and we are eternally grateful for their sacrifice,” Blunt said. “Their memories are forever etched in our nation’s history on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, and soon will be on the sister wall in Perryville.” 

The Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial Park, which broke ground in March, will include the nation’s first permanent, full-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. The flags flown over the memorial Tuesday will be transported on the backs of motorcycles from Washington to Perryville.     

Blunt continued, “This memorial will give our veterans a place to come together and remember their fellow service members. It will give the families and friends of our fallen heroes and those missing in action a place close to home to honor their loved ones. And, it will remind all who see it that we owe a tremendous debt to our military men and women who laid down their lives to secure our freedom. I’m grateful to all who have worked to bring this powerful piece of American history to Missouri, and look forward to seeing the new memorial.”

On behalf of MNVM, Eddleman, a Vietnam veteran, received the flag from Jim Knotts, president and chief executive officer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF). Eddleman also offered his land for the construction of the memorial.

“Honoring our veterans is so important, but not everyone can make the trek to Washington, D.C.,” said Congressman Smith. “Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial is taking one of our nation’s most important memorials right to America’s heartland in Perryville. With this ceremony and these flags, we continue the process of linking these two memorials and give those Americans who have sacrificed beyond measure a place to call their own in Missouri.”

The flag was also received by “Big Jim” Rosenberg, Missouri state director for the American Legion Riders, who will lead over 2,000 motorcyclists in a cross-country trip. The Wall2Wall ride participants will escort the American flag and POW/MIA flag, both flown over the Washington Vietnam memorial, to the site of the new Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial Park in Perryville, Mo.   

“This is just unfolding to be a beautiful event for our veterans,” said Lundy. Today, Lundy and several others will travel to Evansvill, Ind., to prepare for a reception on Friday evening hosted by Rolling Thunder, a motorcyclists’ organization based out of Indiana with a mission to “publicize POW-MIA issues”.

“Honoring our veterans is so important, but not everyone can make the trek to Washington, D.C.,” said Congressman Smith. “Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial is taking one of our nation’s most important memorials right to America’s heartland in Perryville. With this ceremony and these flags, we continue the process of linking these two memorials and give those Americans who have sacrificed beyond measure a place to call their own in Missouri.”