Local Volunteers Assemble The Wall That Heals

They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, on February 19, it took a team of Marco-area volunteers to assemble The Wall That Heals, which was open to the public from Wednesday afternoon through Sunday. 

The traveling Wall has a hard-working staff of three people, led by Tim Tetz, Director of outreach for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. It would be impossible for their small staff to assemble the 400-foot wall. 

That’s where Lee Rubenstein’s contributions are so important. 

Rubenstein, the Commander of American Legion Post 404 on Marco Island, was in charge of the entire project. 

“We have over 300 volunteers,” Rubenstein said. “The firemen are out there helping.” 

Wednesday saw temperatures climb into the upper 80s. Many of the volunteers were seniors. 

“We had one volunteer get sick,” Rubenstein said. ”We had to take him to the hospital. Marco Island is very generous and very patriotic.”