PILOT POINT — The Moving Wall, a traveling monument to Vietnam veterans, is making one stop in Texas on its tour of the country and that stop is in Pilot Point this weekend.

DRC/Barron Ludlum

Pilot Point resident David L. Arrington kneels and prays for soldiers who lost their lives in the Vietnam War at The Moving Wall memorial on the downtown square in Pilot Point.

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The wall, a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., was erected Thursday and will be on the town square until Monday.

Pilot Point is one of 46 scheduled stops in 2009.

“It’s such an emotional experience for most of us,” said Roy Timms, director of Vet-Net North Texas and an Army veteran. “You have to be here and witness and be a part of it to truly understand what an honor it really is.”

The wall’s visit coincides with the Spring Festival, sponsored by the Pilot Point Community Opera House and the local chamber of commerce.

That event today and Saturday includes entertainment, a carnival and several vendors.

This is the third time The Moving Wall has visited the city, Timms said.

On its last visit in 1999, the wall drew 30,000 visitors. Shortly after its creation in 1989, the wall drew 60,000 to the town.

The wall is made of anodized aluminum and looks similar to the black granite used in the memorial in Washington.

Events planned through the visit include an honor ceremony for veterans, a candlelight vigil and some patriotic choral arrangements.

The wall was escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders, a group of motorcyclists who travel around to show support for veterans at events.

“It’s very important for this particular traveling wall to be in Pilot Point, the very first traveling wall ever made,” said Deputy State Capt. Steve Lucas. “As the Patriot Guard, our entire mission is to honor veterans. Vietnam vets are very important to us.”

Lucas said veterans should come out and see the wall.

“It’s very therapeutic for vets of the era. It brings back memories, allows them to pay tribute, allows them to heal and allows them to come to grips with what they experienced those many years ago,” he said.

The wall is an educational tool, Lucas said.

“Everyone — school children, veterans, people from before the ’Nam era — could come to the wall and learn something and remind themselves of the freedoms we have today,” he said.

BJ LEWIS can be reached at 940-566-6875. His e-mail is blewis@dentonrc.com .