One of many ceremonies on Monday commemorated the addition of 18 names to the wall in the Garden of Remembrance outside of Benayora Hall in downtown Seattle.

The Garden of Remembrance is a memorial to more than 8,000 Washington State citizens who have given their lives in the service of our country since 1941, including World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the post-Vietnam conflicts.

The 18 names recently added are of service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past year. One of those names was Spc. Joseph V. White who was killed in Afghanistan.

“He left two months after we got married and he was killed two months after he left,” said White’s wife, 21-year-old Jessica White of Monroe.

Jessica White was surrounded by other families who lost loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last year.

“It's definitely hard. It brings a whole new meaning to Memorial Day and it's definitely a lot more real to me now,” Jessica White said.

Jessica White said it’s her family and her faith that are keeping her strong.

“It makes me very proud of what he did and what he stood for. I know he was very proud to serve his country and he would do it over again in a heartbeat if he could,” Jessica White said.

Joseph White was one of 10 children. His mom and siblings also attended the ceremony.

“I'm really thankful he's being remembered, that's really important to us, that he's never forgotten, his sacrifice is never forgotten,” said Joseph White’s mother, Robyn White.

Jennifer Cecchet brought her daughter to the memorial, to honor her friend, James Riekena, who was killed in Iraq in 2007.

“It's a wonderful place to come down and be together with the people who did fight for you,” Cecchet said.

The other 17 names added to the wall are: Aaron S. Aamot, Brian N. Bradshaw, Joseph T. Caron, Mark W. Coleman, Jose S. N. Crisostomo, Aaron E. Fairbairn, Ryan Job, Niall D. Lyons, Erin L. McLyman, James L. Miller, Michael P. Montgomery, William C. Spencer, Samuel D. Stone, Douglas M. Vose III, Christopher I. Walz, Eric L. Ward, and Dennis M. Williams.

The Garden of Remembrance was dedicated on July 4, 1998.

In Snohomish County, a new memorial was dedicated to honor veterans.

The new monument is across the street from Mill Creek’s City Hall.

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It was started by Mill Creek resident and Vietnam Veteran Chuck Wright and his wife Karen Brandon. They said the idea came to them when they saw other memorials on a trip back east.

The monument contains six columns that list the names of local veterans. The columns surround a flag pole and garden.