Aurora’s Veterans Day parade received an extra boost of emotion this year in the form of the Vietnam Moving Wall, which served to further remind people of the sacrifices of those noble soldiers, and bring together those who lost friends and loved ones in past conflicts around the world.

The parade wound shortly around Broadway Street before the terminus at the historic GAR Memorial Hall on Downer Place.

Vietnam Army Veteran Wesley Yi offered up some sobering statistics at the special ceremony.

“There are 58,282 names now listed on that polished black wall,” he said.

Of that, 39,996 on the wall were just 22-years-old or younger. Eighteen year olds represent the largest age group on the wall. Five soldiers were 16-years-old, and one was just 15-years-old. There were 997 soldiers killed on their first day in Vietnam.

Two hundred and forty-four soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor from the Vietnam War, with 153 of them having their names on the wall. Jan. 31, 1968 saw 245 casualties, the bloodiest single day. May 1968 saw 2,415 American casualties, the bloodiest month.

“For many, they will only see the numbers that the Vietnam War created. For those who survived the war and for the families of those that did not, we see the faces, we feel the pain that these numbers created. As someone once said, there are no noble wars, only noble warriors,” said Yi, who broke down while displaying a paper rubbing of the Wall of the name of a close friend and soldier, First Lt. James Burns.

“You may not have met Jim, but you now have a link to him on the Wall. Any name you approach, see and touch you are connected and forever bonded if you honor and value their service,” said Yi.