Updated: 10/31/2008 4:35:14 PM
Outside of her own military service, Air Force veteran Cynthia Tinker says she takes the most pride in her work on the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial.
"We really needed this and now we're going to have it," said Tinker.
Her task was to find and confirm all the names that appear on the granite tablets.
They are the names of every service member from 35 East Tennessee counties, killed in battle since World War I. The permanent tribute is set to open in mid-November on the grounds of World's Fair Park.
The original master list Tinker cobbled together from different military branches totaled around 5400 names.
But through her research efforts at the University of Tennessee Center for the Study of War and Society, Tinker managed to add another 700 names to that list.
"I'm glad it turned out the way it did, because we added more names and names that needed to be on there."
In the companion video piece to this story, Tinker explains some of the challenges she faced in collecting, correcting, and confirming the names she helped add to the list.
You will also meet the man who hatched the idea for the memorial and the trip that spurred him to honor East Tennessee native sons killed overseas.
If you have ideas for future "Service & Sacrifice" stories email Ten News Anchor John Becker: jbecker@wbir.com.
