In 1975, the final American helicopters left Saigon and the war to contain communism in Southeast Asia officially drew to a close for the United States.

"For those men, they came home, there were no WWII parades or Desert Storm parades -- there was nothing for those Vietnam-era guys," said Mike Driscoll, former command master chief at Naval Air Station Key West.

Driscoll, himself a veteran, brought the Vietnam Moving Wall to Key West. It will be displayed at Key West High School on the practice field from Dec. 10 through Dec. 15.

The Moving Wall is a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., created by veterans in the early 1980s for other veterans who could not make the trip to the nation's capital.

The Moving Wall contains every name of the 47,424 servicemen killed in action during the war, just like the full-size memorial. Veteran and civic groups reserve the wall in their communities throughout the country, where the Moving Wall typically will stay for about a week, guarded 24 hours a day by servicemen and women, police, firefighters and volunteers.

"It's not a political statement," Driscoll said of the Moving Wall. "We're paying respect, due respect, to those that did what was required of them."

For many, the memorial wall provides an emotional backdrop. The Vietnam War resonates vividly still for the political division spurred by the containment policy against communism in those years, and because the war simply affected such a large percentage of the citizenry, Driscoll said.

"It's very, very emotional for many people," Driscoll said. "When we brought the wall here 10 years ago, I think we were able to provide many people with closure. It motivated me to bring it back."

For more information, contact Driscoll at 305-293-2861 or e-mail him at bringthewallback@hotmail.com.

alinhardt@keynews.com