An emotional second day of the Honor Flight as those that have fallen are remembered at the Vietnam Memorial

WASHINGTON D.C. (KVRR) — Emotions ran high and tears were shed as veterans approached the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. 193 veterans aboard this Honor Flight served in Vietnam.

When Jim Svobodny arrived at the wall at the Vietnem Memorial he was destined to find two names, “there’s 37…34 is…here’s 34. There he is right there. Now, I’ve never met him, but look at his name. I know who he is. I know his sisters, and our name is very unusual. So I think that’s the only Svobodny on this wall. He was about my age, and I’ve read all about him, and he was a very nice man. Died too young.”

Svobodny wasn’t done there. He had to find the name of a friend from Fargo that died in Vietnam. David Waldera.

“I was thinking to myself that’s the only one on the wall. I mean, I’ve been here 15 years, I know that’s the only Waldera on the wall,” said a worker at the memorial.

“I went to school with him, went to college with him, saw him in Vietnam just shortly before he died. And I have heard two different stories about a cause of death, and I’m not sure,” said Svobodny.

The worker at the memorial put Waldera’s name into her phone to see how he died, “rocket attack on Long Binh base camp. Rockets on base camp died shortly after attack. Okay, you go up and touch him.”

Svobodny climbed a ladder in order to touch Waldera’s name etched in the wall and quickly became overcome with emotion at the thought of his fallen friend.

“I was actually here shortly after it was built…with my wife,” said Svobodny. “But, it’s still moving.”