If anyone should know the location of the UC Davis memorial to Aggies lost in war, you would think it would be the campus's ROTC cadets.

But few if any of them did. In fact, the memorial was standing right in front of them. It is the Memorial Union.

Notice it is not the "student" union. "It's the 'Memorial' Union for a reason," said David Darling, 21, a third-year student from San Francisco with a double major in history and classics, who is attending UC Davis on a four-year ROTC scholarship.

Inside the union is a monument that lists the names of 134 fallen Aggie soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines.

"The fact is, for us in ROTC, that could be any one of us on that wall some day," said Darling, 21, whose scholarship is contingent upon his commitment to give the Army at least four years of active duty plus four years of reserve status after graduation.

For Darling and other cadets who are fairly certain they will be deployed overseas, perhaps to Iraq or Afghanistan, that monument gives them pause — especially with Memorial Day coming on May 28.

"There is something about looking at these names and realizing these guys were as old as we are, that they were students just like us," said Greg Shepard, 20, a second-year civil engineering major from Folsom who also has a four-year ROTC scholarship.

For Darling and Shepard, the monument signifies that UC Davis cares about its veterans. The problem is, they say, few people know the monument exists or where it can be found. And, even if you know where to look — the MU's Griffin Lounge — and what to look for, the monument can be hard to see.

First, it is in a dark corner. Second, the names do not stand out on the stainless steel monument (because the lettering is the same color as the stainless steel). Third, sometimes "a big, huge plant is standing in front of it," Darling said.

"One day, some cadets and I moved the plant out of the way," he said, "but the plant was right back where it was a few days later."

The cadets, via their student organization called the Scabbard and Blade Society, have a plan. They are raising money to improve Griffin Lounge, starting with the monument.

"It needs to be more open and visible," Darling said. Besides moving that plant out of the way permanently, ideas include a spotlight that would shine on the monument all the time, "so people could always see it."

"If we don't even know about it, and we're in ROTC, how can other people know about it?"

The Scabbard and Blade Society sponsored a fundraising event last weekend: the Griffin Lounge Memorial Run. The event — actually two runs, 5K and 10K — drew about 140 participants and raised at least $1,000. Darling said he had wanted to have the run on May 19, which is Armed Forces Day. But the run would haveconflicted with other campus events, so he switched it to May 20.

The campus bureaucracy at times made him think about throwing in the towel. But he persevered, because the monument is "something special" for Aggie veterans. It shows "their sacrifice is not going to be forgotten."

Darling said he hopes to see the run become an annual event, with greater participation every year. Shepard said he appreciates people who say they support the troops, but they can put their words into action by taking part in the run, "by going out of their way to show they care."

"And when I'm over there," Darling added, "I will know that there are people back home who support us, in more than just words."

Lt. Col. Mark Connelly, who heads UC Davis' ROTC program, said he had challenged his cadets to give back to the university, and they came through with flying colors.

In choosing to shepherd the Aggies war memorial, he said, they are "preserving a part of the university's rich history."

The Scabbard and Blade Society plans to rededicate the memorial in September. One name needs to be added: Army Maj. Mark Taylor, who received his undergraduate degree from UC Davis in 1982, and went on to become an Army surgeon. He was killed in the line of duty in Iraq on March 20, 2004.

Taylor will be No. 135.

"And we hope to God there's not another name to put up there," Darling said.

UC Davis' Army ROTC color guard is scheduled to participate in the Memorial Day observance set for 10 a.m. May 28 at Davis Cemetery, 820 Pole Line Road at East Eighth Street.