In 2009, Illini State Park in Marseilles, Illinois donated 2.5 acres of their 510 acres to the Illinois Fallen Soldier's Memorial. Shortly after, 250 white oak trees were planted to honor Illinois' soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Steve Massey of the Illini State Park Foundation and David Raikes of the Laborers Local 393 worked for ten years to add to the memorial. Their idea was to have the names of the fallen, their branch of service and their Illinois hometown on individual bricks in a beautiful spot where loved ones could remember them. 

The bricks are held in brown powder coated hot-dip galvanized frames. The frames were designed by one of country's largest steel companies which is very familiar with galvanizing so that decision was an easy one. They knew of the product's history of long term durability and several decades long performance. The trees will grow tall and the frames will need no maintenance, leaving the serene site to the wildlife and visitors. 

Even though the project was many years in the making, the deadline approached fast. The galvanizing took only a few days then went to the powder coater then to the site. The galvanizer worked with the designer, fabricator and powder coater to make sure the expectations of the project were met. 

The memorial was dedicated on a crisp Midwestern Fall day. There were lots of touching words that dedication day. One thought from Terry, the father of fallen veteran, Joshua Terando, said "It is totally awesome that people made sure they are not forgotten." A second thought from Dan, the father of fallen veteran, Lincoln Hollinsaid, who said "With eagles flying over head, in an area to hunt and fish, this would have been his place."

With the look of the brown powder coated frames blending beautifully with the natural setting and the previous experience with the long term performance of the product, hot-dip galvanizing was the best choice for this project.