The ceremony is real and a regular Friday event at the Pentagon. Recovering wounded servicemen and women from the local D.C. military hospitals are brought in, honored and treated to a luncheon that is hosted by the Pentagon brass.
Joseph L. Galloway is a syndicated military correspondent who wanted to make his Memorial Day article special for the McClatchy Newspapers on May 23, 2007. He asked his friend, U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Robert Bateman, if he could include his essay about the special weekly Pentagon event for the wounded soldiers.