The North Wall
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The North Wall is the Canadian Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The monument was erected on July 2, 1995 in Assumption Park, directly across from Detroit, Michigan under the Ambassador Bridge that spans from Detroit to Windsor. What is most notable is how this monument plays a part in history.
The monument was donated by three veterans from Michigan, Ed Johnson, Ric Gidner and Chris Reynolds. These three men formed the M.A.C.V. (Michigan Association of Concerned Veterans), financed the project with their own money, and obtained the land from the City of Windsor (after trying many other venues) to erect the monument.
Approximately 40,000 known Canadians joined the U.S. military in all branches of service to proudly fight side by side with their U.S. patriots. These Canadians had to list a U.S city as their place of birth or residence because the Canadian Foreign Enlistment Act (1937) states - Any person, who being a Canadian national, whether within or residing outside Canada voluntarily accepts or agrees to accept any commission or engagement in the armed forces of any foreign state at war with any friendly state, is guilty of an offense of this act. NOTE: This act was in effect at the time of the Vietnam War.
This monument depicts the very essence of honor and military loyalty and is proudly displayed for all to see from both sides of the border.There are 103 names of known Canadians engraved on the North Wall with 7 of those names being listed as MIA/BNR. The monument is 14 feet wide, 11 feet tall and weighs 3 tons. The inscription reads "As long as we live, you shall live. As long as we live, you shall be remembered. As long as we live, you shall be loved".
As of June 2007 and every year since the opening dedication, a ceremony and laying of wreaths is officiated and attended by prominent Canadian and U.S officials, Veterans on both sides of the border, living family members of those engraved in the stone, and supporters of the project.
