The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and Lilly Broadcasting have teamed up to bring The Wall That Heals to Erie, on Memorial Day Weekend.

Prior to the arrival of the Wall, we are honoring local Vietnam Veterans and their families.

We recently visited with the family of the late Edwin Thomas Winter.

His sister Edie told Erie News Now, "when I learned he passed away, I just broke into tears. The pain just never goes away, but he certainly lived up to our ideals as a family, it's nice to have a family like that."

Tom was very close to his brother Butch. "He loved cars, and it got to the point where Mom said, no more cars."

Winter was sent to Vietnam in December of 1969 and six months later he was killed in action. 

Butch remembers the day like it was yesterday. "We rushed into the house and Dad was sitting on the sofa. He was in shock. Mom was working at the time and when we talked in the front door, she saw the Captain and knew."

Winter graduated from Academy High School and Gannon.

Vietnam Reflections runs every Thursday on Erie News Now at 6:00 p.m.