GRAYSON — A mixture of young and old filed onto the campus of Kentucky Christian University in Grayson Friday morning to lay their hands upon the names of servicemen who lost their lives during the war in Vietnam, including 11 who called Carter County home.

For many of the students who walked in line through the various displays before taking their turn along the American Veterans Traveling Tribute’s 80 percent scale reproduction of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C., the experience was both educational and exciting. Without trying to conceal his enthusiasm, Brandon Adams, 10, of Olive Hill took pictures and pointed out interesting things to his buddies in Mrs. Cane’s fourth-grade class at Olive Hill Elementary.

“This is the best field trip ever,” Adams said, moments before he saw the next display ahead and proclaimed, “Dessert Storm? God. This is the greatest field trip ever.”

Adams, who often wears the dog tags of his late father, Brent Douglas Adams, admits he is a military history enthusiast. “One of my favorite things is the Navy. I’m obsessed with it,” he said with a smile.

At the head of the line, a young student looked around and asked “Where’s World War III?” only to be told, “World War III hasn’t happened ... yet.”

Under the locator tent on the lawn opposite the wall, volunteer “Navy Mom Sally” helped Tucker Stevens of Greenup find the names of Vietnam veterans John Michael Hogge of Load and Robert Fletcher of Lynn. Himself a veteran of the Army who served with the 101st Airborne from 1968 to 1970, Stevens struggled to find the words to describe his own feelings when he first looked upon the wall.

Instead of focusing on himself, Stevens chose to remember two young men who lost their lives during the conflict in southeast Asia.

“They were neighbor boys. Actually, the Fletcher boy was probably a cousin of my wife’s ... and here she is,” he said as his wife, Phyllis joined the effort to find the names. Mrs. Stevens said she felt it was important to find the names, adding her family has a string tradition of military service.

“I wanted to find the boys because I had uncles and people who served from World War II to Iraq. I figured I would just come and see,” she said. ”I remember the funeral of my cousin. I remember the guards coming and standing with him. It was hot, so it must’ve been around Mother’s Day. One of them just about passed out and my family took him some water. They came all the way from Vietnam with him and stayed ‘til the end of the funeral.”

Stevens said she was in her 20s at the time, and remembered her cousin’s casket being placed in his mother’s home, where his brothers were also present. Within moments, the couple had their hands on the name of “neighbor boy,” Michael Hogge, before beginning their next search.

Near the spot where the Stevens found one of the two names they were looking for, Phyllis Jackson and Arlin Hall of Grayson beamed after locating the inscription for her nephew, Carl P. McCormick.

“He was my oldest brother’s son,” she said, leaning onto a hand-carved walking stick. “It was our understanding he had both his legs off. I went to identify him in his casket and I wanted to take the top off and see, but the guard wouldn’t allow it.”

Finding her nephew’s name on the wall “was just great,” she said, adding she has contributed to other efforts aimed at preserving the memory of those who died in Vietnam.

Volunteers at the scene said they did encounter a few unexpected challenges while erecting the monument Thursday morning, but were pleased with the results and the crowds of people who have attended the memorial exhibit.

Events and ceremonies at “The Wall,” continue today with a wreath laying at 10 a.m., a viewing reserved exclusively for Vietnam veterans, and lighting of luminaries in honor of Carter County’s “KIA’s” at 9 p.m. The traveling exhibit will remain in Grayson until a closing ceremony and tribute at 3 p.m. Monday. There is no charge to visit the wall and the display remains open to the public 24-hours a day during its stay in Grayson.

TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2651.