Photo by Jeff Fay
A Bagpiper plays at the Bringing the Home Wall event at Lazydays.
To fulfill this mission, Tom and Dee have constructed a replica of the Wall that stands 8-feet tall and 46-feet long. The scaled size allows it to be displayed indoors as well as out. And, because the names are closer together, despite the smaller size, the impact is huge. “It hits you all at once,” says Tom. “It brings back the reality of what it cost us to be over there.”
The Central Florida residents have been traveling since 1995, displaying their replica wall at community events, schools, VA Hospitals and other locations.
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with Tom and Dee Twigg about their mission, motivation and goals.
AP: What motivated you to take on this project?
DT: The wall was born out of another memorial tribute, our POW/MIA Dinner Table. Tom and I are both Native American, and we attend the Chambers Farm Thanksgiving Day Pow Wow in Fort McCoy, Fla., each year. At the ’93 Pow Wow, a group of Vietnam veterans asked me to ‘think of something special to memorialize our POW/MIAs’ at the next Pow Wow.
I thought about it and prayed about it and, finally, sitting down to Easter dinner the following spring, I had an idea. Our family had gathered for dinner, but two of our kids were away at college and couldn’t join us. Like any mother, I looked at the two empty seats and was sad, missing my kids. My youngest daughter, Shannon, who was about 13 at the time, asked me what was wrong. I told her and she responded: ‘Mom, count your blessings: they are at school. How do you think the families of the POW/MIAs feel today?’ Just like that, the idea of the POW/MIA Dinner Table took shape.
AP: And how did the Dinner Table lead to the replica wall?
We displayed the Dinner Table for the first time at the 1994 Thanksgiving Day Pow Wow. Over 2,700 people passed by it. They hugged each other, cried and left items. The Saturday after Thanksgiving a woman approached with her mother. They handed me a manila envelope and asked my to keep the items inside with the Dinner Table wherever it went. I opened the envelope to find two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. The mother explained that her son’s name was carved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C, but, because she was sick and likely dying, she would not be able to make the trip.
I thanked her and returned the medals. I told her I would not take them now, but if she made it to the ’95 Pow Wow, I would bring the Wall to her.
Photo by Jeff Fay
Visitors pay their respects.
TT: Of course, we had no idea how to make that happen, but we knew we were going to keep that promise. During the 2 1/2 years I spent in the West Haven, Conn., VA hospital, I saw my fellow veterans take many day trips to Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It’s a beautiful memorial; but, of course, the bedridden patients couldn’t go! The van was not equipped for them. Meeting this family made us wonder how many others were in the same situation.
DT: We talked to some people at a local home improvement store and they helped us with materials and design ideas. Our first wall was smaller than the current one, but we finished it in time for the ’95 Pow Wow. The mother and her daughter returned that year to pay their respects and leave the medals with the wall.
TT: Watching them, we realized just how significant interacting with the wall is for those who lost sons and brothers but have been unable to find closure — not allowed a last goodbye.
AP: So your goal is to help veterans and families find closure?
DT: Our mission is two-fold: First, to reach every confined, hospitalized or paralyzed veteran and family member who is either physically or financially unable to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Second, to educate school children about the real hazards of war so that these future community and government leaders truly understand the consequences.
AP: So, the veterans are finding closure and the kids understand that those names are not just numbers in a history book, but real people, real lives.
TT: There is no better teacher than each of those 58,000-plus names on the wall.
AP: When you display your wall, what has the response been?
TT: The response has been tremendous. People tell us they have found a sense of release. They leave mementos at the wall. We have all types of items: pictures, baseball gloves, letters, flowers, etc. We carry a lot with us. Others we forward to D.C. Everything has a story behind it. Everything has meaning.
AP: So each person who visits has the opportunity to reflect or interact with the wall in his or her own way?
DT: Yes. We let them know we are there to try to answer any questions they might have, but we’re not there to put on a show. If they ask, we help them find the name they are looking for. Then we try to leave them alone with their memories, and let them find peace.
AP: Your home base is in Central Florida, but you have been traveling all over the state, even up and down the East Coast with the wall.
TT: We want to go everywhere we can. Wherever there are veterans or their families who need closure, who need peace.
AP: What is on your immediate itinerary?
TT: We have a venue Memorial Day in Rainelle, W.Va. Then we are going to the VA hospital in Beckley, W.Va. We also have a VA hospital in Phoenix that has asked us to try to get there. Finances being what they are, that one is a long shot, but we’re working on it!
AP: How are you funding this mission?
TT: A veteran’s organization called Allied Veterans of the World and Affiliates donated funds so that we could build a new wall. They also generously contributed $30,000 to help us purchase our motorhome and the trailer we haul the wall in. That organization is wonderful, and their Commander, Jerry Bass, has been a tremendous help. Another person who has stepped up in a big way is Dr. William Broussard, co-founder of The Allen Broussard Conservancy. He made it possible for us to be carried with their 501(c)3. Without their help, this mission may not have gotten off the ground.
TT: We have been covering all other expenses out of pocket, with my disability and our Social Security. The RV, a 1996 Sunrise, has allowed us to reduce costs by eliminating motels and restaurants. Most of the time we can set up on location. But, with the price of fuel, insurance, wall maintenance and travel expenses, it’s getting tough. Bottom line is, to keep doing this work, we need sponsors to step up to the plate.
AP: So, you definitely need sponsors. How can folks help?
TT: Folks who are genuinely interested can help by spreading the word about us and our need for sponsors. When they visit our website, www.BringingHomeTheWall.com, they can learn more about us, see how others are responding and donate to the cause.
AP: Thank you again for your service and for what you are doing for our veterans.
TT: You’re welcome, and thank you for helping us get the word out.
For more information about Tom, Dee and Bringing Home the Wall, as well as more stories of lives touched by this effort, visit www.bringinghomethewall.com. To contact the Twiggs about bringing the Wall to your community, call 407.433.0015 or e-mail Tom at bringinghomethewall54@yahoo.com.