Four years of work and a timeless appreciation are piled outside Joe Cetti’s home. “I have 2,200 bricks in my driveway,” said Cetti. “And each one represents a story, a life, a commitment, a sacrifice. And, together, they will be the soul of Savannah’s long-awaited World War II Memorial.” I’ve read the names numerous times. I’ve looked over them, I’ve sorted them, I’ve put them in groups. It’s been a task but it’s been a great task.” It’s been a labor not only of love but admiration, all the names becoming familiar and some striking a special chord.

“We have a brick for the first Savannahian killed in World War II, which was George Ganem,” said Cetti. “I also have my father-in-law’s brick, my uncle’s and my father’s.” Soon the bricks won’t belong to Cetti anymore. They’ll be the community’s and the future’s in a way of honoring Savannah’s proud past.

 “I was given the task of making the ceremonial bricks for the monument,” said Cetti, treasurer of the Chatham County Veteran’s Council, which is responsible for getting the monument built. “It’s been quite a job.” And like the gratitude the monument will symbolize, it has been all-consuming.