Final preparations continued Wednesday night for a special memorial going on display in Bridgeport.

Thousands of people are expected to visit the Wall that Heals. Once completed, it will be a replica two-thirds the size of the actual Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Organizers say Bridgeport's stop is the memorial's only one in Connecticut this year.

"We thought Bridgeport was the place to be," says Vietnam navy veteran Bill Battaglia. "The community needs it. It's a place of solitude, a place where veterans and community can get together, meet, shake hands and realize what our country is all about." 

The memorial will be open to public beginning Thursday through 4 p.m. Sunday.