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<p>PLYMOUTH &#8212; Hundreds came out to Huber Field at Wyoming Valley West High School in Plymouth Saturday to pay their respects during a ceremony for The Wall That Heals.</p><p> The event honored the more than 58,000 U.S. service members killed in action during the Vietnam War, whose names are memorialized on the wall. Among those names are 75 from Luzerne County.</p><p>Following a series of patriotic tunes from the Wyoming Valley West Marching Spartans, several state and local legislators paid their respects to the wall, and the man who spearheaded its arrival &#8212; Sgt. Clyde Peters.</p><p>State Sen. John Yudichak spoke of many early meetings with Peters over coffee and his unwavering desire to bring the Wall to Plymouth. Having the memorial allows residents to both honor and grieve for lost loved ones, while educating a whole new generation on the Vietnam War and its effects.</p><p>&#8220;The Wall That Heals is a powerful reminder that we must never forget that the sweet fruits of liberty, the bounty of peace and the comfort of freedom come form the sacrifice of a precious few heroes known as America&#8217;s veterans,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Taking the podium, Peters told the story of his time in Vietnam and why the memorial is so important to him and so many other veterans.</p><p>Peters arrived at Vietnam in 1968 at 17 along with his nephew, David Lee, who was a medic in the 25th Infantry Division.</p><p>&#8220;I talked to David three days before he got killed,&#8221; the decorated veteran explained, saying that Lee&#8217;s life was taken by a booby trap. &#8220;Me and David was only a month and five days apart, so we were more like brothers than uncle and nephew.&#8221;</p><p>Peters&#8217; tour ended after Lee&#8217;s death, when family members requested that he escort his fallen nephew back home.</p><p>A member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1425 in Plymouth and borough councilman, Peters spearheaded the campaign to bring the wall back to Luzerne County. Each year the Wall receives hundreds of applications, but can usually only visit about 30 to 40 locations annually.</p><p>Donning a patriotic ensemble, Janet Coates and her eldest son, David, watched on from the crowd. The Plymouth natives came to pay tribute to their late husband and father, Sterling K. Coates, whose name is on the wall.</p><p>A Marine and 1960 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Coates lost his life in Vietnam on July 2, 1967.</p><p>&#8220;To have it here, to have my father&#8217;s name recognized, to hear applause for his name is very humbling, very emotional,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m very proud to be his son, and to have a son that is now a veteran and fulfilling the duty that he once fulfilled.&#8221;</p><p>For his mother, The Wall That Heals finally allowed closure not only for herself, but for her late husband as well.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s wonderful that he&#8217;s home. The healing is now complete, not only for me, but the fact that he is home,&#8221; Janet explained.</p><p>The Wall That Heals is open to the public for viewing until Sunday at 3 p.m.</p><p>The names of the seven Plymouth veterans on the wall are: Leonard Bish, Sterling Coates, Frank Glowiak, David Lee, Edison Phillips, Joseph Sinkewicz, and Daniel Witko.</p><p>Times Leader reporter and columnist Bill O&#8217;Boyle served as master of ceremonies for the event.</p><p>&#8220;When I visit The Wall and I look at all those names, I begin to wonder about what could have been for all those fallen heroes,&#8221; O&#8217;Boyle said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Clyde Peters addresses guests at The Wall That Heals in Plymouth. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL090819Wall2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Clyde Peters addresses guests at The Wall That Heals in Plymouth. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL090819Wall5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Roses rest at the base of the Wall That Heals in Plymouth on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL090819Wall5.jpg</photo1><caption1>Roses rest at the base of the Wall That Heals in Plymouth on Saturday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL090819Wall1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Reflections of visitors are seen in The Wall That Heals in Plymouth. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL090819Wall1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Reflections of visitors are seen in The Wall That Heals in Plymouth. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL090819Wall4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Guests listen as speakers talk about The Wall That Heals in Plymouth. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL090819Wall4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Guests listen as speakers talk about The Wall That Heals in Plymouth. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL090819Wall6.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Heather Ruseskas and Tina Fulginiti from the Wyoming Valley Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution lay a wreath at the Wall That Heals on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL090819Wall6.jpg</photo4><caption4>Heather Ruseskas and Tina Fulginiti from the Wyoming Valley Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution lay a wreath at the Wall That Heals on Saturday. </caption4><photoCredit4>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL090819Wall3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Retired Lt. Cl. Donna Nolter of Landsadale made the trip to The Wall That Heals in Plymouth on Saturday to lay roses at the names of five members of her church Trinity Lutheran that died in Vietnam. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL090819Wall3.jpg</photo5><caption5>Retired Lt. Cl. Donna Nolter of Landsadale made the trip to The Wall That Heals in Plymouth on Saturday to lay roses at the names of five members of her church Trinity Lutheran that died in Vietnam. </caption5><photoCredit5>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit5></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Many pay their respects to The Wall That Heals, applaud Peters&#8217; efforts</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marcella Kaster</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>