Page 132 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2025

Rodney Gonsalves, site manager for The Wall That Heals, recounted a moment on the final day as volunteers were placing the name panels back into the trailer. A Vietnam veteran and his wife arrived, asking to see the name of a buddy—both had flown Huey helicopters during the war.
“After informing him the panel had already been placed in the trailer, I could see such sad emotions on their faces,” Gonsalves said. “Seeing how important it was to him—and not wanting him to miss a possible last opportunity—we retrieved the panel.”
Upon seeing the name, the veteran immediately said,
“I have to touch it.” He began rubbing his friend’s name, almost as if to be spiritually reunited. Tears followed. When finished, he said, “You have no idea what you’ve done for me.”
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His friend had offered to switch flights with him that day. It was his final week of service, with expectations of returning home the following week. The survivor had lived with guilt ever since—but may have begun a healing process that continues to this day.
City leaders expressed their gratitude to all who donated funds, supplies, time, and support to make the event a success.
Now a milestone in itself, Councilwoman Taranto-Chipley noted that Mayor Rusty Quave, with 32 years in office, is the dean of mayors across the Coast and one of the longest- serving active mayors in the state. She quipped, “Some say Rusty was here when the explorer D’Iberville came ashore back in 1699.”
Quave has been the face of D’Iberville through
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ABOVE: a veteran touches The Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. RIGHT: D’Iberville Mayor Rusty Quave welcomed The Wall That Heals in April. FACING PAGE TOP: The D’Iberville volunteer team traveled to Madison, Florida to help assist victims after Hurricane Helene. FACING PAGE BOTTOM RIGHT: D’Iberville after Hurricane Katrina. FACING PAGE BOTTOM LEFT: Rusty Quave is sworn in as D’Iberville Mayor
THE WALL THAT HEALS