Western ND Honor Flight: 88 Vietnam Veterans visit the memorial wall in D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KFYR) - Eighty-eight of the North Dakota veterans touring Washington, D.C. Monday in the Honor Flight served during the Vietnam War making one stop particularly emotional.

Many of them say they were most looking forward to visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. There are more than 58,000 names of service members who have passed on the wall.

The men made etches of the names of those they served alongside but were lost before coming home. They brought along photos of them in uniform and left tributes to the friendships they made in the military.

“I had to walk away again today. I’ve been to the wall several times but for some reason, today it kind of struck me and I kind of choked. And I had to walk away from it because it was very emotional,” said Duane Friedig, U.S. Army, Vietnam Veteran.

Many veterans traveled with their son or daughter for this trip. They say sharing their memories with the younger generation and seeing the impact of honoring their sacrifice is one of the most important impacts of the trip.

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