Rows of gleaming hot rods drew car lovers from across the region this weekend, but beneath the chrome and pride, the purpose ran far deeper: fueling a community effort to build a permanent Vietnam veterans memorial wall in the Sacramento area.The Citrus Heights Veterans Memorial Project, a local nonprofit, is working to erect what organizers describe as the only one of its kind on the West Coast—a 95%–scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., bearing the names of the 58,281 Americans who gave their lives. The wall is slated to stand just off Interstate 80 near Calvary Catholic Cemetery on land donated for the project.“It’s called the ‘Wall That Heals’ because it brings an opportunity for those who have served to gain some degree of closure for the horrific things they lived through when they were in Vietnam,” said Ray Riehle, who is helping lead the effort. With an estimated project value of about $3.5 million, organizers say no board member is paid and the effort is “purely for the community and purely for the West Coast.”Backed by grassroots fundraisers like the weekend car show, the nonprofit has raised roughly $200,000 to date and is pushing to complete the memorial by the end of 2026. In addition to donations, the team is seeking in-kind support from contractors to help keep costs down while maintaining the project’s long-term integrity.“To be a part of a memorial that is going to stand for 200 years… the names of the men who served, the women who served, will be there for generations,” Riehle said. “A reminder of what we are as a nation and what the men and women of this country are capable of doing.” Donations and contractor inquiries can be directed to the Citrus Heights Veterans Memorial Project at www.CHVMP.org.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

FAIR OAKS, Calif. —

Rows of gleaming hot rods drew car lovers from across the region this weekend, but beneath the chrome and pride, the purpose ran far deeper: fueling a community effort to build a permanent Vietnam veterans memorial wall in the Sacramento area.

The Citrus Heights Veterans Memorial Project, a local nonprofit, is working to erect what organizers describe as the only one of its kind on the West Coast—a 95%–scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., bearing the names of the 58,281 Americans who gave their lives. The wall is slated to stand just off Interstate 80 near Calvary Catholic Cemetery on land donated for the project.

“It’s called the ‘Wall That Heals’ because it brings an opportunity for those who have served to gain some degree of closure for the horrific things they lived through when they were in Vietnam,” said Ray Riehle, who is helping lead the effort.

With an estimated project value of about $3.5 million, organizers say no board member is paid and the effort is “purely for the community and purely for the West Coast.”

Backed by grassroots fundraisers like the weekend car show, the nonprofit has raised roughly $200,000 to date and is pushing to complete the memorial by the end of 2026. In addition to donations, the team is seeking in-kind support from contractors to help keep costs down while maintaining the project’s long-term integrity.

“To be a part of a memorial that is going to stand for 200 years… the names of the men who served, the women who served, will be there for generations,” Riehle said. “A reminder of what we are as a nation and what the men and women of this country are capable of doing.”

Donations and contractor inquiries can be directed to the Citrus Heights Veterans Memorial Project at www.CHVMP.org.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel