Afghanistan Memory Wall, What Memory Expert Ron White says is the Hardest Part
So if you know me you probably know that I am a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. I served in the US Navy from 2002-2010 as a reservist and I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2007. It was one of the times in my life that I will never forget.
I was in the majority, the large majority that made it back safe and unharmed. There are over 2,300 us service members who did not make it back and it is a heartbreaker. In 2012 I set out to memorialize them in a real and continual way and that is by writing their names on a wall to say you are not forgotten. It took me 10 months to memorize the 7,000 words (rank, first name and last) and over 11 hours to write the wall out.
Right now I am preparing to write the wall out for maybe the 20th time. I don’t even know myself and guess I should count. But it isn’t the number of times that I have done it is the the fact that these heroes are being honored in a very tangible way with the Afghanistan Memory Wall.
Today I am reviewing the names (video above) and this is one of the toughest parts for me. People ask if it gets easier with time. It really doesn’t. The first time I did it it was the easiest because I had spent 10 months memorizing. After that each time has gotten a little harder because I spend less and less time reviewing because I have to devote time to other tasks as well. So
Thank you to American Airlines and the Air Power Foundation as well as USAA and Boot ‘n Shoot for their sponsorship to allow the Afghanistan Memory Wall to make it this far. Without their support I could not keep the wall going.
A way you can support the wall and keep it going on an individual basis is to get a shirt here www.supportthewall.com
This project isn’t easy for me at all, but it’s not about me and it is more than worth it. Today and tomorrow my entire day will spent simply reviewing these hero’s names for Saturday. I can’t think of a better way to invest my time.
#rememberthemhonorthem
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