This permanent Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Wayne will be among the nation's largest

Passaic County officials are set to unveil a permanent memorial for the lost veterans of the Vietnam War on Saturday.

A 368-foot concrete wall clad with the names of the 58,318 U.S. soldiers who were killed or went missing in the conflict, the county's new Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall off Oldham Road in Wayne should officially become one of the largest in the nation, county officials said.

"Passaic County has always put an emphasis on honoring and serving our veterans," county Commissioner Cassandra "Sandi" Lazzara said this week. "They have given the full measure of their devotion to their nation, and many have made the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow Americans. Their service is a powerful example for all, and it is our hope and goal that this memorial will serve as a tribute to their character, selflessness and sacrifice."

The wall at its highest point towers 9 feet tall. It tapers to 2½ feet on either end of two 184-foot-long wings in a shape that should be recognizable to those who have visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., or one of its other replicas.

Lazzara, other county officials and several of Passaic County’s Vietnam veterans plan to unveil their version to the public during a 10 a.m. ceremony on Saturday. Members of the county's memorial committee in a joint statement said they want the wall to be a lasting reminder that service is at the heart of American society.

The monument will join smaller Vietnam War memorials in local towns such as Bloomingdale, Clifton, Paterson and Passaic, as well as the prominent New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel. Designed in 1988 by Vietnam native Hien Nguyen, that 200-foot monument has 366 black granite panels that list the New Jersey residents who died in the war or remain missing.

At the latest count, 84 soldiers from Passaic County were lost during the conflict, said Tony Vancheri, the president of the Paterson Veterans Council. Those who returned "were not welcomed home," he said.

"When the wall went up in Washington, D.C., that was the first big welcome," said Vancheri, who served as a U.S. Army combat medic for 13 months during the war.

More: Passaic County Sheriff's Office layoffs expected in July. Here's what we know

"This is going to be outstanding," he said of Saturday's ceremony. "It's such a positive thing, especially with all the turmoil going on in this country, that America still doesn't forget their sons and daughters that paid the ultimate sacrifice in any war."

The United States began its participation in the Vietnam War 60 years ago this August. An unpopular campaign that lasted 11 years, the war involved about 2.7 million American servicemen and servicewomen. Of them, more than 210,000 were killed or wounded or went missing. Today, there are fewer than 850,000 living Vietnam War veterans, according to Disabled American Veterans. Many of the war's veterans died young of cancers and other ailments thought to be connected to Agent Orange, the chemical herbicide used in Vietnam to eradicate the jungle canopy.

The bulk of the county's memorial project has taken place over the last few months on the memorial site near the Passaic County Public Safety Academy. However, the effort dates back about five years to the temporary display of the Moving Wall, a scaled-down replica of the memorial in Washington on Garret Mountain.

More: Millions in Passaic sheriff surveillance equipment locked away over national defense case

After the arrival of the traveling wall and the crowds it drew across five days in May 2019, county officials started discussions about the possibility of making a similar installation permanent. Lazzara announced in 2022 that the county would construct a memorial wall at the public safety complex in Wayne.

Beyond the wall, Passaic County has recently seen several other veteran-focused developments. Last fall, the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs opened a new Passaic County Veterans’ Services Office in Paterson to help provide access to state and federal education, employment, counseling, housing, social and medical services.

In April, the county co-hosted its first "Veteran Stand Down" event at Passaic County Technical-Vocational Schools for at-risk and homeless veterans. The event helped veterans connect with resources ranging from legal assistance to medical screenings, including free breast cancer screenings through the Mammography in Motion program.

Passaic County officials said they expect Saturday's event to be heavily attended. Vancheri said he is expecting at least 4,000 veterans, government officials and dignitaries. Parking will be primarily available at the adjacent Passaic County Technical-Vocational Schools campus, not at the Public Safety Academy itself. Shuttle service from the school to the ceremony site will begin at 8 a.m., officials said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Wayne NJ is getting a permanent Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall