‘We Are Remembering – Not Just A Number’ Memorial

Bend, Ore. (KTVZ) —  On Troy Field from dawn till dusk, a somber memorial took place. "We are remembering not - just a number", has been going on for 18 years now.

Starting at 8 a.m., volunteers read the names, ages, and hometowns of every US service person killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Each name is marked with a single drum beat.

It's been held in Troy Field in downtown Bend the last few years where plaques bearing the names of the fallen are displayed.

The public are invited to walk among the names and listen to the list. Many of the people there stop and talk about what name they're searching for and what it means.

Vertran John dodge, told KTVZ, “I try to look to see if there’s anybody I know… but…. I just keep looking. These guys out here are the true heroes. They died for us. For our freedom”

The reading of the names was streamed online through the We are Remembering website. You can also visit the website to find out how to volunteer to keep this memorial going.

The reading of the names often lasts until dusk, and that's when the garden lights illuminate the plaques.