Three more names have been added to the SDSU War memorial that stands as a tribute to Aztecs who died in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

On Sept. 25, the names of Kenneth W. Cox, Robert C. Nida and Gene T. Wright were etched beside the 217 others already adorning the granite monolith representing former San Diego State students lost in service to their country.

They will be officially recognized at a homecoming wreath-laying ceremony set for Oct. 20 at Aztec Green.

A 'Supreme Sacrifice'

The addition of the names was recently approved by the SDSU Alumni Association's War Memorial Committee, which raises funds for the monument. Chairman Jim Erkenbeck says committee members authorized the changes based on research by SDSU librarian Roberts Fikes, Jr.

Fikes wrote a 111-page report entitled, "Supreme Sacrifice, Extraordinary Service; Profiles of SDSU Military Alumni." It offers details of the lives of Aztecs killed during wartime, including how and when they died.

"It was very thorough," Erkenbeck says of Fikes' research. "The names that were suggested are names that have met the criteria (for inclusion) in that they attended San Diego State and were killed in the line of duty — and that includes training accidents — while in military service."

An Oversight

During his research, Fikes discovered that Cox and Nida were both killed in the same plane crash during a training exercise. They were listed on a Korean War memorial plaque at Hardy Tower, but for some reason their names were never transferred to the new War Memorial that was dedicated Nov. 23, 1996.

"I'm not sure why, exactly, but I think it was just an oversight," Fikes said. "When I checked to make sure they were left off accidentally, I wanted to make sure whether they didn't deserve to be there or something, so I checked the dates and those dates (of deaths and military service) were in line with the Korean War."

Neither Fikes nor Erkenbeck has an explanation for the omission of Wright, a native San Diegan who spent 14 years in the Air Force before his death in a plane crash off the coast of South Vietnam in 1969. Both, however, are confident the committee has accounted for almost everyone meeting the criteria for a listing on the War Memorial.

"That doesn't mean that we're absolute, though," Erkenbeck said. "We've done our research, but could we have missed somebody? Yes, but I really don't think so."