NORMAL - When asked Thursday if any names stand out as having a special meaning for him on the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, Greg Welsh had a precise answer: | Photo gallery | Video

"I have 58,266 of them."

The wall weighs 5 tons, is 6 feet tall at the center and almost 300 feet long - and it's covered with those tens of thousands of names of Americans killed in the Vietnam War.

Welsh, of Cocoa, Fla., said he thought back to working on a database for the names around Christmas 2005. He remembered thinking about how many relatives and friends were affected by the deaths.

"You take that times 58,000. It becomes mind-boggling," said Welsh, an Air Force veteran who is part of Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard (County, Fla.) Inc., which built the wall in Florida in 2005. It's a traveling replica built to three-fifths scale of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

He attended the opening ceremony for the wall's visit to Normal on Thursday on the grounds of Eastview Christian Church. Hundreds of people gathered for patriotic songs, brief remarks, a flyover by two C-130 transport planes, the posting of 50 American flags and 50 state flags and the laying of wreaths accompanied by the playing of "Amazing Grace" on bagpipes.

"Their names are listed in the order their lives were taken," said master of ceremonies Red Pitcher, a former Marine who served in Vietnam. "They were 18. They were 19. They were 20. They were 21. … They were very young. In our minds, they will be young forever."

Army veteran Chella Yeakel of Colfax read the names of eight female nurses on the wall and told a bit about each of them. Seven died in their 20s, and one was in her 50s.

Keynote speaker Dennis Thompson, a Vietnam veteran and former state commander of the Disabled American Veterans, urged members of the crowd who are eligible to join veterans groups to do so.

"If a group is a million and half strong, politicians think of a million and a half votes," he said, noting such political clout is needed to spur government action on veterans' issues.

"We are $3 billion short of what is needed to run VA hospitals," said Thompson, noting that is a tenth of 1 percent of the federal budget. Guaranteed funding for hospitals now run by the Department of Veterans Affairs has been requested but denied since 1920.

Monica Neuleib of Heyworth stood with her children, Lauren, 8 and Levi, 6, at the wall shortly after the ceremony.

"It's emotional," said Neuleib, who wanted her children to learn what they could at their ages. "They are full of questions."

Her husband and their father, Kurt Neuleib, is an Army National Guard soldier who will be deployed to Afghanistan later this summer.

Ken Todd of Danvers served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, retiring after 32 years as an Air Force chief master sergeant. The wall also is very personal for him.

"This is what breaks your heart - I've got eight friends on that wall," he said.

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Wall events

Following are remaining events associated with visit of the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall to the grounds of Eastview Christian Church and Normal Community High School, Raab and Airport roads, Normal. Opening ceremonies were Thursday, and the site remains open 24 hours a day until 7 a.m. Monday.

- Candlelight vigil, 7 p.m. Friday. A candlelight reading of the names of area veterans whose names appear on the memorial, a performance by Sound of Illinois Chorus and a "tiger cage" presentation.

- Show Your Colors Day. Visitors on Saturday will be able to fly their own flags over the memorial or buy one that already was displayed there.

- Concert by The Spectors, 7 p.m. Saturday.

- Closing ceremony, 7 p.m. Sunday. Taps, 21-gun salute and a performance by His Voice.

How to help

Volunteers or people wishing to donate can e-mail ctlogs@fiftyflags.com or visit www.fiftyflags.com

or visit www.fiftyflags.com