Decatur County Historical and Genealogical Society buries Vietnam Wall memorabilia

Published 6:14 pm Tuesday, February 13, 2024

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Memories of the Vietnam War will live on forever in Bainbridge.

The Decatur County Historical and Genealogical Society, along with Bryant Funeral Home and Hall Monuments, buried a box of memorabilia and tributes surrendered in remembrance of fallen Vietnam veterans.

The items were buried at the boat basin, where the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall made a stop in Bainbridge in November 2023. The public burial drew a small crowd to watch the items get lowered into the ground.

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“Thank you all for coming just to witness history happening,” said Roslyn Palmer to the crowd. “This isn’t a time capsule… it’ll be here forever.”

Items buried include flags, flowers, a program flier, photos of some Decatur County veterans, the centerpiece of a wreath that was located on the wall and newspaper accounts of the wall coming to town.

“Having the wall was so special,” Palmer said. “This just adds to it. It’s kind of the finale, the closing. It is special to put that together and bury that.”

The items were placed into a small memorabilia vault donated by Bryant Funeral Home, and Hall Monuments donated a headstone commemorating the wall’s time in Bainbridge.

The burial site is located next to the Jack Wingate Outdoor Classroom at the boat basin, located across from the launch parking lot.