The sun broke on a cloudy Saturday as Dennis Bell, Bobby Bentz and Nell Calloway planted the first memorial tree dedicated to Bentz’s close friends fallen in battle.

John Edward Carmack and Darryl Verdue Barnes were killed in action while serving during the Vietnam war.

Bentz said that Barnes played baseball at ULM.

“Had he not been killed, he would have gone pro,” Bentz said.

Bentz said that he wanted to remind people that both his friends had lived.

“We walk where they walk, go to the stores that they went to. They were alive,” Bentz said.

The trees planted in Carmack and Barnes’ honor are Ceiba trees, which flower yearly. The trees produce a pink and white blossom and the trunk of the tree has large thorns which secrete an oil used in their original home as a natural painkiller.

Bell described the planting of the trees as “experimental” as they are subtropical. Bell said the trees were grown in the ULM greenhouse until they were ready to be planted.

“These are subtropical trees, and we’re hoping they grow. If not, we’ll plant something else,” Bell said.

Bell hopes that the trees can be appreciated by the families of both Carmack and Barnes as a living monument to their sacrifices.

Leeann Holley was visiting the memorial before her students will Monday.

Holley, a second grade teacher at Hillcrest Elementary in Ruston, was looking for the surnames of each of her students on the wall.

“This way they will have a connection and it wont just be a collection of names,” Holley said.

The traveling Vietnam Memorial wall has over 58,000 names of men who were either killed in action or are still considered missing in action.

Names are added as soldiers are identified. The wall is three-fifths the size of the memorial in Washington, D.C.

Calloway, director of the Chennault Museum of Aviation, said that the opening day of the memorial was attended by over 5,000 visitors, more than half of which were children.

“My heart is to educate our youth about the price that has been paid for our freedom. If we don’t, then they’re not going to take up the cause of our freedom and we’re not going to stay free,” Calloway said.

Calloway also said even though the wall is a symbol of the horrors of war and the cost of freedom, those on the wall are heroes.

“There are so many men out here that did make it home, and live fruitful lives. The kids need to realize that just because you join the military it isn’t a death sentence,” Calloway said.

Calloway is the granddaughter of Claire Lee Chennault. Chennault served as a general in World War II and was considered a hero of the Chinese people.

Chennault is honored by the Chennault Aviation Museum.

The memorial wall was raised with the help of several members of PIKE and Pow Mia.

Pow Mia is a motorcycle organization and sponsor of the traveling memorial.

J.T Roberts, a freshman toxicology major, said that he helped raise the wall to honor those fallen.

“It was a great event to have a part in and I would definitely do more volunteering for this event and any other event involving our veterans,” Roberts said.

Scott Coons, freshman biology major said that he has never lost a family member in a war, but his family is full of veterans and active duty officers.

Coons helped raise the wall when it came in on Wednesday evening and he said the reason he decided to help with the raising was both because of his family and for veterans.

“If 58,000 men could give their lives for their country then the least I could was help raise their memorial,” Coons said.

The ceremony for the wall started with a parade that started at Pecanland Mall and ended in front of the museum.  The Grand Marshall of the parade was Si Robertson.

Katherine Jones said she initially came out to volunteer through the Mental Health Unit Program but got a better surprise.

“Seeing these vets and knowing the sacrifice they made so I could live free as possible was wonderful. Getting to see the high school students in the parade was a plus,” said Jones, a freshman mental health counseling major.

According to the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall website, 885 names on the wall are from Louisiana. Of those 885 names, 36 of them are from the Monroe area.

Visitors can locate relatives at the location center just outside of the museum.

By supplying a name and past place of residence, visitors will be given the name’s location on the wall and escorted to it if they so wish.

The Vietnam Memorial Wall comes to town once a year and is available from Nov. 5 until Veterans Day.