Memorial Day services honor fallen

4 names added to the 1,700 on Jacksonville Veteran's Memorial Wall

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Among Memorial Day services across the nation that honor the men and women in the military who sacrificed their lives while serving our country, hundreds gathered at Jacksonville Veteran's Memorial Wall to honor the fallen.

The monument on East Adams Street serves as a tribute to nearly 1,700 Jacksonville area men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Four new names were added to the memorial this year: Christopher Colafati, Zachary Debeau, Micki Nixon and Capt. Wade Wilkinson.

"He was spontaneous, happy. There was nothing he wouldn't have done for his crew, and that's the way he lived his life," Bob Capcio, a friend of Wilkinson, said after the service. "I got through it, but it brought back a lot of memories."

Jacksonville's Memorial Wall is the second largest memorial wall in the nation, behind only the Vietnam War Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. It's the only wall that honors veterans from all six service branches including the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and the Merchant Marine.

"This wall behind me is a great example of what our city is about," Mayor Lenny Curry said.

Vietnam veteran Huel Oxley sat in the front row.

"I come to tears when survivors give me a biography of them," Oxley said. "It always moves me so much to hear what good servicemen they were."

The Fleet Reserve Branch 290 is holding its Memorial Day Tribute at 10 a.m. Monday at Beaches Memorial Park. Bill Houlihan, the command master chief at Naval Station Mayport, was the guest speaker.

A ceremony will be held at the St. Augustine National Cemetery at 10 a.m.  A small American flag and a rose will be placed on each grave site.