We are taking extreme care to make sure that there no errors in the names of the fallen heroes being engraved in the granite panels of the Memorial.

Early in this project we discovered that roughly 3% of the names on official Department of Defense casualty lists have errors in the ways the names are spelled, the official date of death and the age at the time of death. We have taken that as a challenge to make sure we take the steps necessary to get the highest quality, most reliable information possible.

These steps include exhaustively reviewing mentions of the fallen hero on the internet, checking other Department of Defense information sites, checking the registry of the national and local cemeteries, checking photographs of the hero's headstone, reading newspaper and on-line obituaries, reviewing how close relatives spell the hero's name or their own if it is the same. When necessary we will contact the surviving family members, or hometown newspapers or city governments to make sure we have the name right.

Once we have done the step of exhaustively checking a specific portion of the list of names, they are handed off to another volunteer who formats the list to fit the granite panel dimensions. That list is then double checked for any errors introduced in that process.

After the list is verified it is sent to the granite fabricator where it is loaded into a special computer that will generate a life-sized layout of the names. One requirement is that no name is split across lines. An image is taken of that and it is sent back to us for review. We verify the accuracy of the list and layout and send it back with recommendations for any required changes.

Those changes are made, and verified before a latex version of the life-sized layout is produced by a special machine. This stencil is positioned on the granite panel and our representatives go to the shop to inspect the stencil. It is checked for proper positioning on the granite (all the lines are straight across, and the margins around the stencil are maintained).

After the positioning is checked, the lettering for the names is removed letter by letter with an Exacto knife. Finally, the names are checked against the original memorial source list a final time to make sure every one is spelled right, and that all name punctuation is present. At this point the panel is ready for sandblasting.

After the sandblasting is done, the letters receive a coat of epoxy paint to heighten the contrast of the letters against the black granite, and then the stencil is carefully removed. The panel receives a final polish and is stored for future delivery to the Memorial site.

By the time of the Memorial's dedication ceremony, roughly 17 granite panels will be filled with names of the fallen. Each 6 foot tall panel has 84 lines and holds an average of 350 names. Three blank panels will be hung at the Memorial and additional names will be processed in the same fashion except that the sandblasting will be done with a portable device on site at the Memorial. A reserve fund is being accumulated to pay for the future engraving, and to pay for an expansion of the Memorial if circumstances warrant it.