Officials OK bid to build site for fallen soldiers

ATHENS - Efforts to build a soldiers&#39; memorial are back on track after University officials agreed to tweak original plans. <br> <br> University Council members voted for a new design after having to scrap plans last year when complaints surfaced from groups who thought the project wasn&#39;t inclusive enough. <br> <br> Last week, the council agreed that the memorial would honor a broad range deceased intelligence officers, Peace Corps members and diplomats along with military personnel. International students who give their lives at home for democratic causes will also be honored. <br> <br> Political science professor Loch Johnson said Monday he hopes war veterans and others will accept the revamped plan. <br> <br> ``There were some who thought it was anti-feminist, which I thought was wrong,&#39;&#39; Johnson said. ``We&#39;re honoring men and women. Some thought it was pro-war. It&#39;s remembering those who gave their lives for peace and freedom.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Memorial design and location have not been chosen but the council approved a concept that includes a black nameless wall, pools of water, benches and gravel pathways. <br> <br> A ``book of remembrance&#39;&#39; for an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 names will be encased in glass and placed in a nearby building. <br> <br> A new garden near the Student Learning Center is among the proposed locations. The memorial will paid for with private donations. <br> <br> The council, the university&#39;s policy-making body, tinkered with the inscription before voting. The phrase, ``Their names liveth forevermore&#39;&#39; was deemed archaic and possibly ungrammatical by some. <br> <br> The wording was changed to ``live forevermore.&#39;&#39; The word America was left out to include Confederate soldiers, along with foreign students who died serving ``democracy and their country.&#34;