UPDATE: A group of war veterans searching for their friend affectionately nicknamed 'Louisiana' have ended their heartfelt journey to find him. 

An updated post on Facebook from James Garvin and his wife, Susan, states that 'Lousiana' passed away in 2015. His name was Harold Lee Thomas, and according to his obituary, he was a South Carolina native despite his nickname.

Orlando, Fla. - A war buddy with curly brown hair and a glowing personality are the things that stick out in a photo taken by Vietnam veteran James Garvin decades ago.

"The picture represents the beautiful grin he had almost all the time," said Garvin.

He would like to tell his old buddy how much he's missed him through the years. Problem is though, Garvin only remembers him by a nick-name, "Louisiana."

Garvin joined dozens of his old infantry platoon members at an annual reunion in Florida this week. None of those in attendance can remember his real name either.

"There were many men in our unit that we did not know their names because they had nick-names like "Louisiana" or "Mississippi," he said.

Determined to locate the soldier who helped keep morale high, Garvin and his wife took to Facebook with their search. The post already has thousands of shares and comments from people across Louisiana and around the country.

Garvin would like more than anything to see "Louisiana" at next year's reunion.