SAN ANTONIO – USAA honored the military Monday with an early Memorial Day ceremony at its headquarters off Fredericksberg Road.
One of the featured guests was Ron White, an Afghanistan veteran who served in the U.S. Navy from 2002-2010.
White now travels the country with a portable wall, on which he writes the names of every fallen service member from Operation Enduring Freedom.
"I want people to stand back and take a look at it and think, 'Wow, I had no idea. I didn't understand the scope of the sacrifice,'" White said.
It takes 11 hours for White to writes each of the 2,300 names. A task he does from memory.
White said it took him a year to learn the names and ranks of all the service members.
USAA employee Colleen Tyler was walking through a courtyard when she came across White and the wall.
At No. 24 on the list, she found the name of a childhood friend, Jason Disney.
"It's amazing to see his name on this wall and I'm just, I'm just thankful and honored that I can see it in person," she said.
White said Monday was the 18th time he's conducted this tribute, and said it's not unusual for spectators to find a loved one's name.
"Moms and dads will just hug me and say, 'Thanks for keeping my son's memory alive.' And that's really what I feel like I'm doing," White said.