"Welcome to Palmerton."

"Welcome home."

That was the message that prevailed Thursday night in the opening ceremony for The Moving Wall on display in the Palmerton Borough Park.

The hero's welcome was one that was sadly missing when Vietnam soldiers came home.

Thursday, the message was one of healing and remembrance, with chaplains on hand to console relatives of those who died in Vietnam.

The effort to bring the memorial to town was led by Steve Vlossak, a Vietnam veteran who shared his heart-wrenching story about the heartbreak of losing his fellow soldiers.

Vlossak told the crowd of about 1,500 about David Bartholomew of Palmerton who died trying to save a fellow soldier.

He said for the ones who survived, it was a matter of location or time: who went first, or who went second, who missed an attack by seconds or minutes.

As veterans held each other up and wiped away tears at memories of those lost, Vlossak told people the 58,000-plus names on the wall are personal.

"If you don't think you have a connection to the 58,000-plus names on the wall, look on the Internet and find ones who have the same birthday as you. Find their names on the wall. More than 150 soldiers whose names are on the wall would have birthdays today."

Ceremonies will continue through the weekend.

The Vietnam Veterans of Carbon County will conduct a service at 6 p.m. Friday. A wreath laying and candlelight ceremony will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, with closing ceremonies at 6 p.m. Sunday, followed by a patriotic concert.

The wall is open 24 hours a day now through noon Monday.