Realized that I also disabled (commented out) the entire block related to customer notes.
Code:
{* COMMENT OUT CUSTOMER NOTES
<div class="checkout-customer-notes">
<label for="customer_notes">{$lng.lbl_customer_notes}:</label>
<textarea cols="70" rows="3" id="customer_notes" name="Customer_Notes"></textarea>
</div>
*}
Seriously -- does any big-boy retailer have a "customer notes" section in the checkout? Anything that takes away from the customer pressing checkout now is subject to removal.