PRESTON — Franklin County is updating the war memorial erected nearly 20 years ago in front of its courthouse in Preston, putting out the call for residents who can help identify veterans who should be on it.

“I think it's been about five years since the last time it was updated,” said Franklin County Commissioner Zach Stewart. “That seems to be the cycle, that we update it every five years.”

The Franklin County War Memorial project was initiated in 2006 when two residents approached the commissioners at the time about erecting a veteran's memorial. When the monument was erected, there were 2,400 names on it. Another 1,600 names have been added to it over the years.

Stewart said the criteria to be included on the memorial isn't as specific as when it was first installed. To be listed back then, the veteran, whether serving in active or reserves, had to leave for service while living in Franklin County.

“Today, we are including everyone who has served in the military and lives or has lived in Franklin County,” Stewart said.

The latest update to the memorial was inspired when a neighbor of Stewart's approached him late last year telling him another neighbor had served in the military but wasn't on the memorial.

“I did some research and found another five or six people, so we decided to put out a call to the county to see if there are any more out there,” he said.

That call went out Feb. 12 via the Franklin County website and its Facebook Page. The deadline to get those names to the Franklin County Clerk's Office is March 6 and can be submitted in person, over the phone at 208-852-1092, or by email at franklincounty@fcidaho.us. Include the person's full name and the branch of service they served in.

Once all the names have been collected and the deadline passes, county officials will do some fact checking before bringing an engraver in from Pocatello to add those names to the memorial.

“It's not a cheap process to have the engraver come down and do that but as a county, we think recognizing our veterans is something worth spending the money on,” Stewart said, adding the memorial still has room for about 200 names before the county will have to consider adding another pillar. One of the reasons the Franklin County War Memorial is important to Stewart is that it falls under his commissioner responsibilities. But his passion for the memorial goes well beyond that.

“It's near and dear to my heart because I am a veteran as well,” he said.

Stewart grew up in Weston and joined the U.S. Air Force in 2001, eventually becoming a pilot flying bombers.

“The last plane I flew was the B-2, the Stealth Bomber,” he said.

His role in the U.S. Air Force kept him busy until 2022. After 21 years he retired. That's when he and his wife returned to Weston.

In updating the memorial, his biggest concern is missing people because veterans themselves can be hesitant to speak up when it comes to recognition.

“If family members, friends or neighbors know about veterans who are not on the memorial, please let us know,” Stewart said. “Most veterans aren't going to come forward and say they want to be on the memorial, so we need them to let us know who they are.