The Moving Wall's weeklong stay in Palmerton was a special moment that brought together residents young and old in appreciation of the sacrifice made by the 58,000-plus American soldiers who died in the Vietnam War.

But a rumor that someone stole donations intended for the group who brought the wall here emerged on Sunday and attempted to tarnish that moment.The organizers behind the event said the rumor was just that, and that all donations given to the wall were accounted for."That is absolutely untrue. The donation boxes are standing right here, both of them," said Steve Vlossak, a Vietnam veteran who helped organize the event, as volunteers took down the memorial Monday.The rumor was fueled by a social media post that went viral among Palmerton-area residents, being shared more than 130 times. The original poster said that he was told by a veteran that someone stole a donation box from the site.That prompted outraged comments from Palmerton residents."This breaks my heart that someone could stoop that low," one person wrote."That's horrible and pathetic," another said.Despite the large amount of attention given to the supposed theft online, no one ever called Palmerton Police to make a report about it, according to chief Randolph Smith.Vlossak said he was baffled by the rumor. There were donation boxes set up at the memorial, but they were under the supervision of volunteers around the clock throughout the weekend."People were here 24 hours a day," Vlossak said. We had five, six, seven people here."Palmerton-based photographer Lynn Shupp tried to clear up the confusion, saying the rumor may have stemmed from people seeing a volunteer emptying the donations.Vlossak said he was thrilled by the effort that volunteers put forth to support the event, not to mention the huge number of residents and visitors from around the area who visited the wall. He said they included members of the local Legion and VFW, the Palmerton Concourse Club, the Palmerton football team - who helped set up and take down the panels - and many others.He said the rumor about the theft couldn't deter what was indeed a special weekend for Palmerton and veterans from Carbon County and beyond."There was a special feeling at the wall, somebody had to be looking out for us - especially with this weather," Vlossak said early Monday afternoon. "The rain is supposed to come about two hours after we are done."