RICHMOND, Va. β A retired state trooper whose son died in Iraq has helped create a memorial for Virginia's fallen military heroes.
Corp. Jonathan Bowling died in the Al-Anbur province of Iraq after his battalion was ambushed in 2005. He is one of 301 Virginians killed in the War on Terror.
Their names, stories and faces now hang at the Wall of Honor exhibit at Woody Funeral Home off Parham Road.
In a ceremony on Friday afternoon, the Wall came to life with the help of Krystina and Joe Diman from Woody Funeral Home and former Gov. Bob McDonnell.
The former governor met then-Trooper Darrell Bowling 20 years ago on a road in Patrick County.
"I told him about my son and he says, 'Is there anything in the world I can do for you,'" Bowling recalled. "I told him about my son's state flag that they flew on every assignment and every mission."
When McDonnell won the election, Bowling's state flag was on display at the Patrick Henry Building as a reminder of the men and women of the Commonwealth killed in the War on Terror.
Then the Wall of Honor idea was born.
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