Jim Edwards rode in a motorcade Tuesday to pay his respects to seven comrades he lost while serving in Vietnam.
"This ride is a way to honor my friends," he said. "I was lucky enough to come back."
Edwards and other veterans lined up at noon to escort a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall through the gates at Hillsboro Memorial Gardens on State Road 60. Volunteers assembled the 8-foot high, 240-foot long monument at the cemetery, where it will remain on display from 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
The reflective, black surface of the three-quarter scale replica is inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 servicemen and women who died or who are missing in Vietnam.
The replica wall was created in 1990 by the Dignity Memorial network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers as a service to those who might never see the monument in Washington. To date, the replica has traveled to more than 200 cities across the country.
Organizers will provide pencils and paper for visitors who wish to make rubbings of names etched on the wall.
Beth Rodriguez, general manager of Hillsboro Memorial Gardens, said the wall gives visitors a chance to reflect and heal.
"We are very pleased to be able to share it with the community," Rodriguez said.
The exhibit opens at 7 p.m. Thursday with a candlelight remembrance service presented by the Veterans Memorial Museum of Hillsborough County.
Hillsboro Memorial Gardens is at 2323 S.R. 60 in Brandon. Parking at the cemetery is limited, so free shuttles will run from the east parking lot at Westfield Brandon mall on various days and times. Admission is free. For information, call (813) 689-8121 or go to www.face book.com/dignitymemorialvietnamwall.
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