I always knew him as Mickey's dad. I knew he was some kind of hero, and that he had died in a war, but that was about the extent of my knowledge of Frank Reasoner growing up. Mickey and I were in kindergarten together, and attended most of grade school, junior high, and high school together, and were also both at the University of Idaho together.
It wasn't until I returned to the Silver Valley 8 years ago that I understood what happened. Reasoner was a soldier in Vietnam, and ended up earning the Congressional Medal of Honor. Last Tuesday, on Veteran's Day, he was honored at the Silver Valley Veteran's Memorial with a granite wall. This morning on our walk, NR and I stopped to look at the beautiful wall that was dedicated to my childhood friend's father.
Two years ago when I went to Washington D.C., we found Frank Reasoner's name on the wall at the Vietnam Wall Memorial.
Below is a newscast about the dedication, with his son Mickey talking about his father, and how pleased he is to have his father remembered in this way.
How very moving after all these years, and rightfully so....
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