At nearly 300 feet long and 6 feet high, the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is a three-fifths scale replica of the original in Washington, DC.

Like the wall that inspired it, the portable wall destined for Mt. Pleasant lists the names of more than 58,000 Americans who died in the Vietnam War. Local bar owner and war veteran James D. Gallagher Jr. believes the smaller wall can make just as big an impression on those who come to the district to view it.

Gallagher is sponsoring the local stop at the Wall, which will be on display 24 hours a day in Frick Park from 11 a.m. Thursday to 2 p.m. Sunday.

“It’s about the healing process,” Gallagher said. “That’s why the (Vietnam) veterans come, to see the names of their brothers in arms.”

“All veterans are welcome, but we want people to give these guys some of the recognition they never got when they came home.”

Gallagher, who served in the Marines and Army, supported the previous visit to the wall in Smithton. He is dedicating the Mt. Pleasant exhibit to his late father, 20-year Army veteran James D. Gallagher Sr., who served one tour in Korea and two in Vietnam.

“Vietnam veterans are very close to my heart,” said the younger Gallagher.

An honor guard of local veterans will participate in the opening ceremony for the mural display, scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, according to Joe Zelenak, post commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Mt. Pleasant.

“Four of my (VFW) officers are Vietnam veterans and they are excited about the wall,” he said.

While the wall is in place, local veterans will provide security at Frick Park.

Members of the VFW-affiliated Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, as well as representatives from the regional charity group Bikers Helping Others, will be among the units escorting the Vietnam Wall to Frick Park on Wednesday morning.

Police are also expected to accompany the trailer that will transport the wall from a collection point off Interstate 70 in Bentleyville. A Huey helicopter is expected to fly over the wall.

Speakers at the opening ceremony will include Brigadier General John Pippy, director of the Joint Staff of the Pennsylvania National Guard, as well as Doc Russo, the wall manager.

The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, founded by a Florida veterans group, will travel from its final stop in Tennessee to Mt. Pleasant.

The project is accompanied by memorials for soldiers killed in recent wars and those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11.

Russo has observed that wall decoration can evoke a range of emotions in visitors.

“It could be sadness, but it could also be joy,” he said. “It could be a grandfather bringing his grandchildren to show them the names of friends he has lost, or a wife visiting her deceased husband.”

“It gives people a chance to have closure after 50 years of carrying it around and never being able to visit the memorial in Washington.”

Materials are available for those who wish to rub the names of loved ones on the memorial.

Russo said, “A lot of people come even though they don’t have a name to look for. They just come and pay their respects.”