Off to one side of the memorial, there was another tent where volunteers were using computers and a directory to help visitors find the panel and row numbers of veterans listed on the wall. It took me some time, but I finally worked up the fortitude to enter the tent. There were a few people in front of me in line and I almost left several times. I wrote down the names of the 4 men from my platoon on a blank page of the program, because I felt like I was going to have a hard time talking. It seemed like suddenly it was my turn and I gave the lady the paper with the names. She asked me if I had served with all of them and it was all I could do to quickly say, "Yes". She wrote down the panel and row numbers beside the names and gave me sheets of paper and a big pencil to do a rubbing of the names. I hadn't planned on doing that, but took the papers and pencil and headed toward the wall. While walking down along the wall looking at the panel numbers I had to stop at one point where the walk was blocked.

In the cluster of people I could see someone from channel 8 news with a cameraman interviewing a man who was doing a rubbing of a name. I backed off some distance not wanting to be caught by the reporter. This wasn't a time when I wanted to be photographed or have to talk. I found a way around them and approached the panel that had 3 of the names of men from my platoon. It was down far enough from the reporter that I thought they would not see me.

It took a bit of time to count the rows and then locate the name of Kenneth Flashner. Thoughts of being on a guard position with Flash, the nickname that was bestowed on him, and how we had just gotten to know each other came to mind. Also, the memory of the firefight only minutes later where he was mortally wounded. I started doing the rubbing of the name with the painful memories bringing tears to my eyes, when suddenly someone was talking to me. I looked over my right shoulder, it was the man from channel 8 news. He was holding a microphone toward me and there was the cameraman. He asked me what I was feeling and if it was an emotional experience for me. That was enough to get me all choked up and the tears started streaming down my face. It seemed to take forever but must have been only a few minutes. My thoughts were all mixed up and it was very hard to try to stay in control. After a few attempts I did manage to answer some of his questions. Just minutes after the news 8 reporter and cameraman left, another man came up to me and asked for my name. He was from the Muskegon Chronicle and had been taking pictures of me. This was totally unexpected and just what I had hoped to avoid.