Damn great story! I didn't have the privilige to serve. Always thought I would. Between school and a fiancees pressure (not my wife) and hearing problems I ended up not going. To this day I regret it.
I had several friends and schoolmates who did, and four of them are on that wall. One was a good friend When I worked I used to get to Washington from time to time, and I still do when I go to advocate for the Great Lakes Fishery. Every time I go there, I visit the Wall and look them up. The first time I went, I promised myself that I would make sure they would be remembered by someone for who they were and what they did. And I intend to do that every time I go until I die. All those trips and I never knew about this.