THE WALL OF FACES

We all miss you and think about you often. You would love your niece and nephew. I wanted them to know the uncle they never got to meet.

Michael

Michael is buried at Arlington Nat Cem.

A faint flame, your cheek, underneath steady eyes, true and honest eyes. A sly smile hinted at a love of laughter and of life. Those things that made you, Tom, whispered: Michael's back. He lives in this boy-spirit who drifted into class after breakfast in the hall with that girl who gazes upon him . . . Should I tell her? Michael Ludwig at 18 never knew I would have followed him wherever he might have bid me. It was not to be. I wept at home, as he, like you, laid his task to rest, but not among his loved ones, Tom, nor even in a place he knew. In a foreign ditch, dirt mottled that faint color of his cheek, when his helmet slid over his true and honest eyes, swiftly and forever closed. His sly smile (which hinted, like yours, of a love of laughter and of life) lingers a lifetime later in the memory of the one now weeping for your girl who will, one day, wilt at a whisper and finally know you never left her at all.

Alexandria, VA is dedicating a Vietnam Memorial scheduled for completion in the next 15 months. The site will be called the Captain Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The plaza will contain a sculpture of Captain Versace, a former resident of Alexandria, and a Vietnam Memorial with the 61 names of the Alexandrians who sacrificed their lives during service in the Vietnam War. The Friends of Rocky Versace, a group dedicated to this project, is working closely with the city to ensure that the best effort is made to honor these veterans for their ultimate sacrifice. A historical database will be maintained at the plaza with biographical information concerning the veterans from Alexandria and their military service. This information will reside on the computer systems at the plaza and will be maintained for accuracy. For this reason, the Friends of Rocky Versace would appreciate any information you can provide to include in the historical record. Contact: Tony Heisley at [email protected] or telephone: 703-683-6964 or mail: Friends of Rocky Versace, P. O. Box 3441, Alexandria, VA 22302 or check our web site at: http://www.friendsrockyversace.homestead.com/ .