Veteran’s Plaza monument at Rancho Tapo Gayle Soles has such a strong urge to quilt that she believed it had to be inherited. So the Simi Valley resident researched her genealogy and, although she didn’t find any quilters, she was surprised by what she did find: many of her forebears were involved in major wars.

One ancestor—five generations back—fought in the Revolutionary War, and his son-in-law served as a trumpeter in the War of 1812. Another relative was 19 when he enlisted in the Civil War and helped guard cattle drives along the Santa Fe Trail. Soles’ grandfather was 34 when he volunteered to fight in the SpanishAmerican War.

Struck by their passion to fight for what they believed in, Soles felt compelled to honor them by inscribing their names in granite at the $1.65-million Veteran’s Plaza at Rancho Tapo Community Park.

“They deserved to be recognized,” said Soles, whose relatives were among the first names added to the plaza.

Recently, 135 names were inscribed on the last of 48 granite panels, bringing the total number of those honored for their military service to about 1,430.

Relatives of William Shepard also were among the first names engraved on the monument. His ancestors were on the battlefields of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. They were in the trenches of World War I and II and the rainforests of Korea. Shepard himself is a Vietnam veteran.

“The whole family almost covered every war,” Shepard said. “We’re very patriotic.”

He said that adding their names to the Veteran’s Plaza also brought attention to all of the soldiers who participated in those wars.

Even so, to preserve the dignity and respectful ambiance of the monument, it was necessary to put a limit on the number of names there, said Colleen Janssen, a spokeswoman for the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District (RSRPD).

“You have to stop at some point,” she said

However, Janssen said those wishing to honor someone, whether they’re in the military or not, can have the name inscribed on a brick that will be used to construct a patio for the renovated St. Rose of Lima church at the Strathern Historical Park. Call the RSRPD at (805) 584-4400 for more information.