If you hear that a military member was killed during the Vietnam War, you might assume his or her name is on the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C. But that is not always the case. If the soldier or sailor was not killed in combat, their name may not be on the Wall that has become one of the most famous monuments in our country. For the families of many of those veterans, it's an honor they feel their loved ones deserve. Now, some sailors whose names have been left off the Wall finally have their monument, right here in the Kansas City area.

On Friday, a monument that's being called the "Missing Panel" was dedicated at the Mount Washington cemetery in Independence. It lists 74 sailors who were killed on the Navy destroyer USS Frank E. Evans in 1969. The destroyer was in the South China Sea, but not in combat at the time. It was involved in training exercises when it collided with an Australian aircraft carrier and sank. Until last week, the men killed in that accident had never been honored with a monument marking their sacrifice.

As I stood at the dedication ceremony, I was moved by how much this meant to the families of the dead sailors and the 198 survivors of the accident. Many at the event talked about how they still want to get the names on the wall in Washington, but at least now they have something... something to honor these sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice serving our country.

If you're wondering why the memorial is here in Independence, it's because the Mount Washington cemetery is the burial site for the only man whose body was recovered after the USS Evans crash. Seaman Kenneth Glines was an Independence native. His sisters were on hand Friday for the unveiling of the monument honoring Glines and his comrades. It's honor that has been a long time coming and is much-deserved.