When volunteers were asked to describe their experience reading the names at the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall, sponsored by Total Financial Solutions, one word kept coming up: “amazing.”

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More than 260 volunteers and local boy scouts from Troop 2222 signed up for 30 minute shifts 24 hours a day, so that the readings would never stop while the Wall was in Santa Clarita.

Arif Halaby, CEO of Total Financial Solutions that sponsored the reading of the names, said that “As far as we know it’s never been done this way before.”

It was a unique way to honor each of the 58,238 men and women whose names are recorded on the wall, and a way to thank the Vietnam veterans who made it home but may have never been honored or even welcomed.

“Every single one of them was amazed and really felt like there was a healing that took place,” Halaby said, “and to have a small part of that healing process for the men and women that served, it was a pretty cool thing.”

Mayor Bob Kellar, who is a Vietnam-era veteran himself, volunteered to read names on Friday.

“For me, that was something that I very much wanted to do and took a great deal of pride in being able to read names that were on the Wall,” he said. “…It brought back a lot of memories. At the same time, it felt good to be able to honor and recognize these members of the military that lost their lives fighting for our country and the freedom of our people.”

Kellar said that he especially noticed the appreciation of the Vietnam veterans, some of which visited the Wall every day while it was in town.

Rhonda Chobanian, development director for the Boys and Girls Club of the Santa Clarita Valley, wanted to read the names because she knew she may never have another opportunity.

Knowing that the late night shifts would be harder to fill, she signed up for two back-to-back shifts from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Friday night.

Even then, people were visiting the Wall to listen and reflect.

“I was actually very pleasantly surprised that there was many people there,” Chobanian said. “I think it may have been one of the most profound and moving elements of the entire thing. I was moved by how many people stopped and sat down and just listened and took in the gravity of every name that was read as truly representing a life.”

KHTS AM-1220’s own Connie Jones also participated in the readings on Saturday, and acknowledged the personal nature of the opportunity, both for herself and for the veterans who remember their fallen friends.

“When a Vietnam Vet places his hand on the wall he is actually going back in time,” she said. “He remembers the men he fought with, especially those who did not make it back and whose names are on the wall. I am of the same generation and reading the names was a very personal way for me to pay tribute. I am so thankful that Arif Halaby and Total Financial Solutions made it possible to have the names read live. I’m proud to have been a part of the event.”

Reading the names was also very personal for local boy scout from Troop 2222, Wade Hampton.

During his Saturday shift, he read the name of the uncle he never knew, Steven Aaron Hampton who died on Dec. 15, 1968.

Each reader received a Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall challenge coin from Total Financial Solutions, with a unique number registered to their name.

But one of those coins, #297, was not handed it out, Halaby said.

Instead it was sent to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. along with all the other non-perishable items that were left at the Wall.

Coin #297 is meant to honor all those who were prisoners of war or missing in action during the Vietnam War.

All the participants will also receive a special certificate to thank them for their part in honoring all those who fought.

“You could just see the genuine gratitude for it in their faces,” Chobanian said of the veterans who heard the names read, “that they were each getting what they were due, and some recognition and honor.”

The 264 volunteers who together read 58,238 names are listed below:

Arif Halaby

Logan Halaby

Scott Wilk

Vanessa Wilk

Judy Fiddler

Frank Munox

Joel Moss

Jack Getskow

Malcolm Blue

Ron Stein

Cathy Denise

Sara Denise

Katie Devine

Amy Archie

Michael Riemer

Renee Riemer

Richard Grant

Cindee Grant

Peyton Halaby

Pam Halaby

Stacey Anschultz

Ellen Fox

Warren Spayth

Susan Moss

Joel Moss

Amber Halaby

Kevin Kohagen

Tom Dudley

Ricardo Hernandez

Daniel Green

Karen Reade

Bill Schwartz

Darin Ryburn

James Farley

Cynthia Rowley

Vicki Dowd

Linda Morgan

Kathy Fendel

Dan Fendel

Myrtelina Anbessaw

Hugh McDonald

Evelyn Glasgow

Brian Homer

Marilyn DiGiovanni

Pat Carson

Joshuah Gilman

Tammie Decker

Spencer Honadel

Gerardo San Jose

Linda Beiser

Louise Garcia

Dave Caldwell

Tamie Edwards

Michael Sommer

John Hansel

Linda Weifenbach

Cammie Nussbaum

Craig Nussbaum

Cheryl Gifis

Maxine Zewiey

Paul Tanaka

Roy Burns

Mickey DePalo

Doug Dobransky

Natalie Buriel

Juan Buriel

Rebecca (Becky) Thomas

Bill Crowl

Anna Marie Torelli

Harriette Knight

Jennifer Walker

Tanner Aurand

Margaret Braunling

LeeAnn Walker

Barbara Martinelli

Keith Walker

John Carter

Andrew Mawhorter

Maria Christopher

Joanne Rose

Bob Keller

James Allison

Sarah Steffen

Chuck Virga

Esther Brumleve

Brian Virga

Sharon Bronson

Cathy Hollomon

Mark Hollomon

Donna Halaby

Berta González-Harper

Gary Duffy

Mindy Duffy

Gary Brown

Mallory Fencil

Karen Fencil

Jeromy Robert

Bri Gross

Michael Wiesen

Robert Francke

Virginia Shands

Bob Arnold

Beth Anschultz

Karen Harvey

John Bergstrom

Diane Bergstrom

Jennifer West

Ronda Chobanian

Clayton Collins

Tammy Ford

Bill Huddleston

Shayda Azamian

Wayne Aragon

Marsha Aragon

Mark Murphy

Luke Murphy

Lisa Bomben

Rex Steerman

Lou  Carrion

Rita Carrion

Janice Lau

Trevor Lau

Muriel Usselman

Mike Franz

Victor Plancarte

James Palazzolo

Rusty Gray

Jessica Ruiz

Sandra Palazzolo

Lawrence Kahn

Rosalia Peterson

Terri Kahn

Catherine Hagopian

Jerry Rhodes

Alexander Kahn

Dana Giammaria

Berenice Maldonado

Dusty Hutton

Kyle Hutton

Jennifer Rivas

Juan Rivas

Robert Maryon

Gregory Hovhanessian

Brian Homer

Connie Jones

Denise Wilinski

John Hineman

Shawna Brynjegard

Yeal Brynjegard

Beverley Lawrence

Janice Murray

Beverly Lawrence

Robert Plassmeyer

Paul Anderson

John Jones

Jim Valentine

Wade Hampton

Fred Anschultz

Mark Anschultz

Debbie Brenner

Cameron Brenner

Cyndi Madia

Noah Wyatt

Riley Mendias

Amira Mendias

Trish Lester

Lawrence Lester

Eileen Zierhut

Elise Podesadecki

James Gabor

Nancy Gabor

Bob Hilstein

Adam Parker

Vivila Lih

Iland Lih

Alex Dunkel

Patricia Teichert

Kim Klein

Ryan Cooper

John Ray

Ron Kleinfeld

Denise Wilinski

Dave Kleinfeld

Britton Schaefer

Wally Schilling

Libby Schilling

Lee Chandler

Ray Bloss

Katherine Chandler

Christopher Chandler 

Lori Scott

Jarod Scott

Hal Shiffman

Rachele Horney

Connie Frein

Gregory Hovhanessian

Linda Hovhanessian

Karolle Blackson

Minna Blackson

Geoge McGuiness

Dylan Meier

David Brandon

Hannah Brandon

Brianna Davis

Neil Fischer

Yesenia Guzman

Dave Holwager

Sharon Ventrice

David Soto

Tony Payne

Bill Reynolds

Michael Kleinfeld

Jonathan Kleinfeld

Rachel Kleinfeld

Cyndi Kleinfeld

Steve Cueto

Lori Cueto

Bill Bolde

Jody Bolde

Barbara Walker

Debby Keene

Kara Gebhardt

Blake Gebhardt

Philip Gebhardt

Jill Gebhardt

Mark Sears

Kenny Sears

Garrett Adame

Ellen Brokaw

Britton Schaefer

Frank Rodriquez

Anna Meyer

Michael Bambrick

Thomas Bambrick

Kelly Golliher

Kathy Durbin

Ruth Stevenson

Shelley Cataldo

Melissa Cataldo

Sharon Enright

Scott Enright

Johnny Gonzalez

Maggie Gonzalez

Patsy Ayala

Marianne Douglas

Tony Lewis

Corey Phillips

Michael Salerno

Matthew Salerno

Denise Wilinski

Dan Payne

Jeremiah Bergman

Carl Goldman

Jeri Goldman

Moufeed Halaby

Brianna Moreno

Jonathan Anderson

Yesenia Berbiar

Patti Ryan

James Hall

Seth Wiesen

Tommy Anbessaw

Andrew Mawhorter

Chuck Morris

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Article: [node:title]
Source: Santa Clarita News
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