MOVING TRIBUTE FOR VETS Replica of wall comes to Columbiana County

By ANGIE SCHMITT
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
T WAS ONE NAME IN PARTICULAR THAT drew Gary "Bones" Mowen of Niles to the moving replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on display in Columbiana.
Among the 58,228 inscriptions is David T. Orwig III -- Mowen's brother-in-law.
Mowen said Orwig, also from Niles, was killed in Vietnam on March 21, 1968.
Mowen had some trouble finding the name. When he did, he rubbed David T. Orwig III onto a sheet of paper with a crayon, just like visitors do on the granite walls in Washington, D.C.
"It was moving to do that," he said. "It still brings a tear."
It took 30 people two hours to construct the half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, designed by Vietnam veteran John Devitt, at Firestone Park.
Howard Stouffer, commander of the Washingtonville Veterans of Foreign Wars, spent six months raising money and organizing the effort to bring "The Moving Wall" to town.
The Rolling Thunder veterans advocacy motorcycle club and the Leathernecks, a Marine motorcycle group, helped with the assembly.
"I wanted to do it for the community," said Stouffer. "There's 35 people from Columbiana County on that wall."
Events surrounding visit
A ceremony for the families of listed servicemen and women will be at the wall's park site at 3 p.m. Saturday, he said.
Each day until the wall is dismantled Monday, veterans and community groups will be paying tribute to the fallen.
The South Range High School Band performed patriotic tunes Thursday afternoon. Columbiana Mayor David Spatholt headed the opening ceremony at 6 p.m.
Thursday through Monday, volunteers will read the names of more than 58,000 men and women inscribed on the memorial.
Two names stood out for East Liverpool Vietnam veteran Harold Watson.
Two of his war buddies from the 196th Light Infantry Brigade were killed before the fall of Saigon in 1975.
"I have one guy on the wall that kept kidding me that he was going to leave before me," said Watson. "Well, he did."
Viewing the wall was an emotional experience, Watson said.
"You get a big lump in your throat," he said. "Oh man, it's powerful."
Emotional encounter
Some Vietnam veterans are overcome with emotion at the sight of the monument, said Stouffer.
John Hjerpe and his group from Point Man International Ministries is there for that crowd. Point Man is an international organization that ministers to veterans.
"It's a great healing process," he said. "You never truly heal, I don't think."
But for Mowen there is some comfort in knowing his brother-in-law's legacy will live on as an entry on "The Moving Wall."
"At least you know his name is there and people pay tribute to him wherever it goes," he said.