NOTE: The following article was first published by Karen Kadilak and appeared on Post-Gazette.com on May 30, 2022, 6:00 a.m.
After Leslie Sabo Jr. posthumously received the Medal of Honor, Dom Viccari worked hard to bring back The Moving Wall to Ellwood City to honor him.
The half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will make a four-day stop in August in the primarily Lawrence County borough.
Vietnam War veteran and Steelers great Rocky Bleier will be the featured speaker in the opening ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 18 at Ewing Park’s Folino Shelter. The ceremony will be open to the public.
Sadly, though, Viccari will not be there to see or hear it.
Viccari first helped bring the exhibit to the borough in 2009 to draw attention to Sabo, who at the time was under consideration for the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor.
A 1966 graduate of Lincoln High School in Ellwood City, the 22-year-old U.S. Army specialist was killed in action in 1970 in Cambodia while saving the lives of several of his comrades.
Sabo was finally honored in May 2012, and his wife and brother were invited to a White House Medal of Honor ceremony.
Viccari, a U.S. Army veteran and former borough council member and manager, spearheaded fundraising by soliciting and designing ads for a memorial booklet, which consisted of facts about The Moving Wall and stories about soldiers from the Ellwood City area who lost their lives in the war. (There are seven, including Sabo, whose names are inscribed on the wall.)
The wall, which travels the country, was slated to come to Ellwood City in 2020 but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A spokeswoman for its owner, Vietnam Combat Veterans Ltd. in Michigan, said it has been in Pennsylvania more than 40 times since 1986.
After Ellwood City, it will make stops in Hermitage, Mercer County, and New Castle, Lawrence County.
Joe Fisher, commander of American Legion Post 157, which is sponsoring the exhibit, said Viccari was active in the post until two years ago.
“We were hoping he could hang on until the wall came,” Fisher said.
Mary Ann Viccari said when her husband was bed-ridden and nearing the end of his life, he invited Bob Morabito to come to the house to hand over binders on the project.
“Mr. Morabito was so respectful and touched my heart when he insisted Dom was still the chairman of the committee,” Ms. Viccari said.
Mr. Fisher said plans are being made to memorialize Viccari and Mark Brown during the event.
Brown helped organize the motorcycle escort that will accompany the wall to Ewing Park. He died recently as the result of an accident.
In addition, Sabo’s family has been invited to provide artifacts.
It will be one of several times in recent years Sabo is remembered in his hometown.
In 2015, the Ellwood City Post Office was named in his honor. A memorial and bridge were also dedicated to him.
The exhibit is a big undertaking for the 95-member post, which does not own a building. Volunteers, as well as donations, are needed.
It has become an even larger task with Viccari gone.
“We lost our inspirational leadership,” said Mr. Morabito, 68, post historian and past commander. “His absence has left a big hole.
“He was passionate about honoring our Vietnam veterans. We will miss his enthusiasm.”
For more on the exhibit, go to the Post 157 Facebook page. Donations can be sent to Brandon Fisher, c/o American Legion Post 157, P.O. Box 569, Ellwood City, PA 16117, with a note that they are for The Moving Wall.
Anyone wanting to help should call volunteer coordinator Rich Griffith at 724-496-9076 or write to him at richgriffith95@gmail.com.
For more on The Moving Wall, including its schedule, go to themovingwall.org.
Karen Kadilak is a regular contributor: goodness@post-gazette.com.
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