COLORADO, USA — Two men in Colorado spent part of the holiday weekend hiking a mountain at 14,000 feet. They trekked through snow to honor 11 servicemen who died 70 years ago in the Korean War.
James Cahalin and Nick Reinking decided to attempt the mountain climb after learning the servicemen's names are missing from the Wall of Remembrance in Washington, D.C.
"I have summitted close to 10 14ers here in Colorado, and this was by far the most grueling hike I have ever done," said Cahalin, who sits on the leadership team of the Colorado chapter of the Travis Manion Foundation (TMF).
TMF develops programs and events to empower veterans and families of the fallen. Cahalin and his friend, Reinking, climbed to the summit of Grays Peak on Friday to carry a list of 11 names they don't want their country to forget.
"We want to be an instrument of change that can help and recognize these heroes," Cahalin said.
"They had equal impact as everyone else whose name is on that wall," Reinking said.
They're not related to any of these 11 people, but the friends said they feel the names should be added to the wall. They first heard the story of their sacrifice on 9NEWS. It inspired Cahalin and Reinking to make the climb and pay tribute over Memorial Day weekend.
"There were two crews, a Navy crew and a Coast Guard crew. Coast Guard crew went out to rescue the Navy crew, and they never came home," said Megan Marx.
Marx is from Parker, and her mom's first husband, Dwight Angel, died in the Korean War before she was born.
Cahalin and Reinking said they read Angel's name at the top of Grays Peak because he isn't on the wall.
"It keeps their memory alive, and it keeps their story alive," Marx said.
This climb meant so much to her because she said families haven't been given a good answer about why the names were left off. Cahalin and Reinking said they believed climbing a mountain was the least they could do.
"It's an extra weekend, an extra day to show gratitude," Reinking said.
The Wall of Remembrance opened last year. Marx has said the government told families the plane crash that killed them happened outside the area that's considered for the memorial.
She visited D.C. in January to ask lawmakers for the names of the men to be added.
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