-- Paul Green

CHAPEL HILL -- These words, from the noted Chapel Hill playwright, set the tone for the new memorial in the heart of the UNC campus.

Dedicated earlier this month, the simple stone sanctuary honors 687 eloquent lips silenced -- the alumni who have died in wars from the Civil War to the present.

Six low stone walls are bisected by a sidewalk inscribed with quotations from or about alumni veterans -- so that students, faculty and visitors might do some walking on the paths they trod. The monument is located, appropriately, in front of Memorial Hall.

Alexander Davis Betts recounted seeing a "wounded Federal" on a Civil War battlefield.

"He asked me if I thought our surgeons would care for him," Betts wrote.

"I assured him they would. He said he had a wife and two little children. His bones may be in that field now."

Helen Cross' grief and pride emanate from the pavement as she talks about her son, who died in World War II: "Barton exhausted himself swimming about and diving in those cold waters of Kyushu in the effort to save all he could. I am so proud of my fine son but oh! so lost and lonely without him."

Rye Barcott, a recent alumnus, talked about trying to stay focused amid deadly chaos in Iraq.

"I do not dwell on death, and in fact always try to keep such thoughts deep in the back of my mind while operating [in combat]," he wrote.

Chapel Hill businessman Robert Eaves led the effort to raise $300,000 for the memorial.

Students interviewed Monday said the monument is not only a tribute but also a place for peace and quiet.

Jessica Koller, 21, a junior, was studying for a sociology exam.

"It's quiet, and I like to come out here and read," she said.

"I think it does serve as a reminder that in the future there's going to be more to this memorial."

Indeed, room has been left in the bronze Book of Names for future war deaths. So far, university officials say, no alumnus has died in the Iraq war.

John Choi's brother-in-law is a Marine who has served in Iraq.

Choi, 21, a junior, stopped with a friend to peruse the Book of Names.

He said he didn't perceive any political statement from the memorial, even on a campus that often plays host to anti-war protests.

"I don't think it's really anti-war," Choi said.

"I just see it as a way to remember the people who gave their lives."

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