"Each year during Homecoming Week, San Diego State University hosts a commemoration ceremony at the campus War Memorial to honor veteran alumni who have died in service during the nation’s military conflicts. The ceremony consists of reflections about the monument and the sacrifices it represents, laying of wreaths by those who wish to contribute, and a reading of each name etched in the monument by members of the Student Veteran Organization.[1]"

Over time, the War Memorial grew.

The addition of names required space and funding. That is why, in 2010, two names added to the existing roster (one from the Vietnam War and the other served the Korean War) set off plans and fundraising for more names to be honored. The student Veteran's Organization (SVO) worked towards raising $50, 000 "for an expansion that could accomodate the SDSU alums killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. [2]" Originally, the drafted addition to the monument came from original memorial designer, Jesus Dominguez, in the form of a half circle around the west side of the original granite monolith allowing for names to be inscribed on both sides. [3]" 

On 2011, "Homecoming Week activities on campus took place on the lawn outside the trolley station because the War Memorial has been temporarily displaced by construction on a new student union building. [4]" The possibility of adding the names of Aztec soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan to a satellite monument did not met expectations once the monument was set back in its place. Instead, Jesus Dominguez incorporated benches around the monument as the names of honored soldiers imprinted into the second side of a three-sided monolith. [5] 

On January 2016, a plaque placed "at the base of the tower explains the symbolism of the monument's design. It reads: This war memorial’s jagged edges symbolize the shattered lives of our Aztec heroes and classmates lost selflessly in service to our country. We salute and honor them. [6]"

Work Cited:

[1] SDSU News Team, "Veteran Support Part of SDSU’s Identity," SDSU NewsCenter (Friday, November 8, 2019), newscenter.sdsu.edu.

[2] "Two Names Added to Campus War Memorial," SDSU NewsCenter (Friday, June 18, 2010), newscenter.sdsu.edu.

[3] "Two Names Added to Campus War Memorial," SDSU NewsCenter (Friday, June 18, 2010), newscenter.sdsu.edu.

[4] cbs8.com, "SDSU honors students killed during military service at homecoming ceremony," CBS8 (Published: 10/7/2011 3:57:59 AM; Updated: 2:04 PM PDT October 7, 2011), cbs8.com.

[5] "Alumni Donors Fund Improvements," in "War Memorial Enhancements," SDSU Alumni (accessed on 2022), sdsualumni.org.

[6] Tobin Vaughn, "Jagged Edges," SDSU NewsCenter (Tuesday, February 16, 2016), newscenter.sdsu.edu.