It was early May 2023, and John Haller had an idea. Though it started innocently enough, within 2 ½ months it had blossomed into a reality far larger in scope than originally planned. It seems that the seed was planted simply enough: Buy a paver to honor his brother Roger who had lost his life while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq.

John, a Cambridge, Maryland resident, journeyed to Delaware to buy a suit of clothes. While there, he had a conversation with a gentleman who mentioned a veterans' memorial at Dagsboro. John, who had previously purchased a paver for Roger in a memorial at Federalsburg, Maryland, ventured to this Delaware memorial and ordered a paver there as well. Then came the idea. How about purchasing a paver, or having his name placed on a memorial wall, in every state so people throughout America can see the name of a true patriot etched in stone? Thus began a quest to honor a brother.

Forty-nine-year-old CSM Roger Haller, father of three, was a member of the Army National Guard since 1980. Originally with a Virginia unit, he transferred to the 70th Reg. of the Maryland Army National Guard in the early 1980s. He was deployed to Afghanistan in December 2006. On January 20, 2007, the Black Hawk helicopter he and 11 other Army personnel were on was shot down near Baghdad, Iraq. All perished and are buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.

I received a call from John in the middle of June. By this time, he had locked in commitments from 45 memorials, in the same number of states. Their promise was to honor Roger through the laying of a paver or the inclusion of his name on a granite wall. John was in the process of filling out a paver order form for the St. Charles Vets Memorial here in St. Charles, Minnesota. As chair of our five-man committee, I thanked him for his devotion to the memory of his brother’s service and sacrifice to his country. We here in this southeastern Minnesota community are humbled to know that Roger’s name will be among the existing 425 pavers currently in place.

In 2 ½ months, John Haller completed his quest. His brother’s name and service recognition will soon be a part of every state in the nation. Some memorials have already finished laying the paver or etching the wall. Others, like here in Minnesota, will complete the mission next May in time for Memorial Day.

What started as a simple idea grew into a labor of brotherly love.