Hoosiers from across the state gathered in Lawrence June 24 to honor the more than 58,000 Americans who died while serving during the Vietnam War. Their names are inscribed on The Moving Wall, a half-size portable replica of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The event took place at the south end of Lawton Loop in Lawrence. The ceremony featured a roll call of the missing, and a message from the keynote speaker, retired Sgt. 1st Class Sammy L. Davis, who is Indiana’s only living recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The event was organized by Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 296, which has brought the wall to Lawrence 16 times, according to Executive Director of Welcome Jill Fewell.

“It’s meaningful to those that can’t make it to Washington, D.C.,” Fewell said. “It means a lot. We can’t forget these names.”

The wall is engraved with the names of the 58,318 Americans who died the Vietnam War, of which roughly 1,300 are missing in action. During the roll call of the missing, family and loved ones of those who were never found placed their loved ones’ dog tags on memorial wreaths.

“Freedom is not free,” Davis during the ceremony. “We all need to stand up firmly for what we believe is right in our hearts.”

Davis served in the U.S Army from 1965 to 1984.

According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, he protected his unit that fell under machine-gun fire and a mortar attack in 1967. After defending two wounded servicemen until he was able to drag them to a firing support base, he refused medical help so he could defend against enemy forces until they fled.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor the next year by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

“We don’t lose until we quit trying,” Davis told those who attended the ceremony.