By Nolan Blair | Posted: Thu 9:10 PM, May 25, 2017 | Updated: Fri 2:38 PM, May 26, 2017

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (WBAY) - Many of us spend time around Memorial Day remembering those who died serving our country. An Appleton man devoted fifteen years making sure some of those fallen service members are never forgotten.

Nearly 7,000 names of American soldiers who died between October of 2001 and April 2017 line eight flags.

The memorial's designer, Brandon Salfai, says he doesn't know a single one of them.

"I don't know anyone personally on these flags. I was never in the military. I was certainly never deployed," said Salfai.
He says he's just a manufacturer from Appleton.
But after 9/11, Salfai felt compelled to track military members who died while in the service, so he started writing their names on an American flag outside his house.
"It just felt like the right thing to do, a sort of remembrance," said Salfai.
But he quickly knew he'd ran out of room.
More than 15 years later, the project spread out over eight flags.
He calls the display "Flag of the Sacrifice."

Fox Valley Veterans Council is displaying the flags. Read more…