In conjunction with the upcoming visit of The Moving Wall, a five-eighths scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial, the Palmerton Area Historical Society Heritage Center has created an exhibit delving into the Vietnam War.

Just as impressive as the wall are 20 enlarged, iconic photographs of the war on loan from the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum. Hanging on the walls of the exhibit, the photos are full of movement - soldiers carrying out an injured comrade, family members running toward a soldier returning home, helicopters flying above the heads of soldiers wading through waist-high grass.Each picture is accompanied by a caption provided not only what is happening in the picture, but also historical information about the war. One caption explained the use of Agent Orange, what it was created for, how much was used during the war, how it affected the health of the soldiers and how it still affects many of them.The exhibit also features memorabilia. Maps and personal artifacts loaned to the center by Palmerton residents are sprinkled throughout in cases and on walls, tables and chairs."People from the area have responded wonderfully," Marianne Smelas said. "We thought this would be a wonderful time to focus on our locals."Among the loaned items from area veterans are tank shells from Peter Blynn, soldiers' jackets, Steve Vlossak's wartime photographs, posters from George Duell, and Bill Gallagher's dog tags and St. Christopher medal given to him by Mary Riska, whom he later married."It's already been favorable," Vinita Horinko said about visitors' opinions of the exhibit."We've had some of the veterans come in and are pleased with how it is set up," said center board member Susan Steigerwalt.A sign in the exhibit explains the role of the New Jersey Zinc Co. It stated, "The company annually produced more than 100,000 tons of zinc metal and more than 40,000 tons of AP zinc oxide. This was enough metal to supply more than 100 million brass artillery shells and enough oxide to supply the rubber needs for more than 10 million vehicles.""Without the zinc, you couldn't have the shells," said Peter Kern, the director of the heritage center.Also in the exhibit are donated items. The recently closed St. George Russian Orthodox Church donated a religious icon of Jesus that had been given to the church in memory of Thomas Dolan III. A plaque on the icon's case states that Dolan had been killed in Vietnam on June 12, 1969.Kern said more than 58,000 lives were lost during the Vietnam War. Among the soldiers who returned home are his younger brother and cousin."The survivors came back from the horrors of war not to the welcome accorded heroes, but instead to a country that did not appreciate their sacrifice," he said. "They were treated as social outcasts."Kern credits the construction of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., for bringing the sacrifices of these young men out of the shadows. The sloped, polished black marble walls, etched with the names of every single person who died in the war, stretch almost 500 feet from one tip to the other."People come and they touch the names; they interact with the people they knew or the people they didn't know, but respect the sacrifices that they made," Kern said.Visitors to the heritage center can see the exhibit during regular business hours: 12:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Friday. For more information, call the center at 610-824-6954.