A scale model replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be on display through early Sunday afternoon in Anacortes.

The American Veterans Traveling Tribute and Traveling Wall arrived at the Swinomish Casino Wednesday afternoon, escorted by tribal dignitaries, police and military organizations and various motorcycle groups. Opening ceremonies were held at noon Thursday, after which the memorial will be open continuously for public viewing.

“It’s a pretty solemn thing for people,” said Justin Shank, marketing coordinator for Swinomish Casino. “They like to stay all night, so we’re planning on keeping it open 24-hours a day while it’s here. The closing ceremony begins at 2 p.m. Sunday, so viewing will stop at about noon or so Sunday.”

The mission of the AVTT project is to travel the nation to honor, respect and remember men and women who have served in the Armed Forces, paying specific tribute to those who sacrificed their lives. The mobility of the tribute allows people to pay their respects without having to travel great distances. Shank said the casino is involved in several community events, and this one seemed like a good fit for the area.

“We have such a large military population here in Anacortes with (Naval Air Station Whidbey Island) there and since we have a lot of retired military in the area, we thought this would be a nice thing to give to our community,” he said.

The centerpiece of the AVTT display is an 80 percent scale version of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall. The model measures 370-feet in length and contains every name etched on the original memorial in Washington, D.C. According to Shank, there will be computer locators available for those who are trying to find a specific name.

“Those will be up until 8 p.m. each night, but we may end up keeping them open longer, depending on what the demand is,” said Shank. “We have a lot of volunteers to help with that, but we still need more.”

There is more to the AVTT display than just the Traveling Wall. The Cost of Freedom Memorial is a series of stand-up exhibits made from gold dog tags to record the names of those who have given their lives since Vietnam up to present day Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Each dog tag bears a permanent record of a service member, including their full name, branch of service, rank and date and location of their death.

The 911 Memorial is also a stand-up exhibit with lighted twin towers. Names of victims are recorded according to their location at the time of the terrorist attack.

The Walk of Heroes display pays tribute to our country’s history and illustrates conflicts in which America has been involved. Other tributes include a nationally acclaimed display of original paintings called Vietnam Remembered; pictures and information about World War II and the Korean War; a display of the founding documents of the U.S.; panels honoring law enforcement and firefighters; a memorial tribute to the casualties at Ft. Hood in 2009; and the Commanders in Chief display, featuring pictures of each of our nation’s presidents.

In addition to closing ceremonies, which will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, there will be a ride to the wall and a ride of honor. Motorcyclists are invited to meet at Skagit Harley Davidson in Burlington at 10 a.m. The ride to the wall will begin at 11 a.m. and riders are then welcome to participate in the ride of honor at the Swinomish Casino parking lot at 1 p.m.

It’s not too late to volunteer to help either, according to Shank. Those interested in lending a hand may contact Jumada Schwinden via email at jschwinden@swinomishcasino.com or by calling the casino at 888-288-8883.