Say their names: Fallen Vietnam veterans remembered, one by one

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sometimes the best way to honor a veteran is by remembering his or her name. That is exactly what’s happening in Washington, D.C. right now. 

All 58,318 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are being read out loud over the course of four days. From 5 a.m. until 12 a.m. through Friday, people will come to hear the names be read -- a tradition held every five years since the memorial was built in 1982. 

Devin Ruic, a volunteer with the DC chapter of Team Red White and Blue, a veteran's advocacy group told FOX 5, "There's a sentiment that a person never truly dies until the last person forgets their name or their name is not spoken any longer. Family members, friends, and the people that have followed in their footsteps come here to remember them every day and this is one of the most important monuments we have."

A collection of volunteers, friends, and family make up the 2,000 people reading the names this week. Lt. Colonel Tom Griffin of the 101st Airborne Division is one of them. 

"I'm West Point class of '56. We have 11 names on this wall. They did what their country asked them to do,” said Griffin.

He stood for an hour in the rain to read his friend’s name -- Lieutenant Commander Walter Sutton Wood, who went missing in action.

“We see the impact it has on people and the fact that their names are here, and they can be forever here.”

Watch the video to see why we can never forget our veterans.