HARTLAND, Wis. — The Wall That Heals, a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, brought veterans and their families together at Nixon Park in Hartland, Wisconsin this weekend.

“I come to the wall to thank my buddies who are circled here,” said Randy Zemel, a Vietnam veteran who served from 1966 to 1968. 

The war took a heavy toll, Zemel said, as he lost six friends in combat.

“I have to be out there,” said Zemel. “I have to be out there for them because what they did for me, for you, for everybody and gave us some freedom and paid the ultimate sacrifice.”

Another veteran, Howard Hadley, served for 26 years and participated in Operation Babylift during the Vietnam War. The mission involved flying Vietnamese orphans to safety.

“The hardest part of that was the faces of the parents because they knew they couldn’t come with us on the planes,” Hadley said. “I still remember that. I still see faces occasionally at night of the parents giving us their children and the parents didn’t make it.”

Years later, one encounter showed Hadley how much of an impact he truly made.

“I ran into a Vietnamese woman who comes up and grabs me and says, ‘You saved my life,’” he said.

The Wall That Heals served as a bridge for a younger generation as well. Sierra Fritsch, 23, visited the memorial to honor her late grandfather, a Vietnam veteran.

“He would probably give me a big hug and say how he’s so proud of me for coming here alone with flowers to give to veterans to thank them for their service,” said Fritsch.

Fritsch said she wants her generation to understand the sacrifices made by veterans like Hadley and Zemel.

“I especially wish more people my age understood the impact that these gentlemen have had and how brave they are,” said Fritsch.

It’s a place to reconnect, remember and express gratitude.

“I’m not a hero,” Hadley said. “I just did my job for the country and to save children.”

“I walked with heroes,” Zemel added. “I’m not a hero. None of us are heroes. The 58,281 on the wall are the heroes.”