(May 16, 2008)—The names of nearly 500 more fallen 1st Cavalry Division soldiers were added to the division’s memorial Friday at Fort Hood.
The memorial was originally dedicated in 2006 after the division’s first deployment to Iraq.
Then 168 soldiers names were etched into the memorial’s black stone.
Friday the memorial was rededicated with 493 additional names.
“Our cavalry heritage gives us the strength we need, and on a day like today, we need every bit,” said Maj. Gen. Daniel P. Bolger, the division’s commanding general.
Juan Lopez’ son was killed in Iraq just four days after his 23rd birthday.
Today his son’s name is etched in the granite of the memorial.
Lopez says he keeps a picture of his son hanging on his wall.
"When I leave to go to work at night I turn the light on and kiss the picture and I say, "I’ll talk to you later Pop." And when I come in the morning, and turn the light off he's at home, how you doing? But he talks to me right here in my heart," Lopez says.
Sniper fire took Donna Kiernan's husband, Chris, away from her, just barely a year ago.
Since then she's moved out into the country away from Fort Hood because it was simply too painful to see the 1st Cavalry insignia everywhere.
But she came back Friday because she's proud of what her late husband did and what he stood for.
"It was extremely hard. I don't think there was one time during the ceremony that tears weren't coming out of my eyes," Kiernan says.
The couple never had any children but loved animals and taking walks along the beach.
Now she'll have to take those walks alone
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