HAMPTON -- When the black drape was pulled away from the Global War on Terrorism Memorial monument outside the American Legion Post 35 in Hampton Friday night, the grim reality of war was there for all to see.

The monument that bears the names of New Hampshire servicemen killed in the Global War on Terrorism since Sept. 11, 2001, showed eight names newly added.

"There are now 42 names on this monument, and they were all born from the ashes of Sept. 11, 2001," said American Legion Post 35 Cmdr. Ralph Fatello.

More than 200 residents and grieving family members attended the annual ceremony to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

The most recent names added included Army Maj. Brian M. Mescall, formerly of Exeter.

Mescall, a Hopkinton, Mass., resident, died Jan. 9 in the Zabul province of Afghanistan when a bomb exploded near his military vehicle.

A 1993 graduate of Exeter High School, Mescall, 33, was with the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment based in Hohenfels, Germany, and was among three soldiers killed in the attack.

Fatello said Sept. 11, 2001, is the most defining event in our nation's history since Dec. 7, 1941.

"It is and will always be known as our modern day Pearl Harbor," Fatello said. "None of us will ever forget where we were eight years ago today. And on the clear, blue-September-sky morning, our world changed forever."

The brave soldiers on this monument, he said, were deeply effected by horrors of that day.

"Almost all the names on our monument enlisted in the armed forces after the events of Sept. 11," Fatello said.

Gov. John Lynch, who spoke at the ceremony, said we must forever remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

"These brave men answered the call to duty and sacrificed for us in hopes that we will never again suffer the pain and agony of Sept. 11," Lynch said. "These men performed their duty with honor, courage and bravery, and put their country and fellow Americans ahead of themselves and their own safety."

Friday night's ceremony featured several color guards as well as guest speaker Clarence Hill, National Commander of the American Legion Posts.

The monument was unveiled by Post 35 on Sept. 11, 2006. On that day, a promise was made to return each Sept. 11 to add more names to the list if needed.

"We wanted to honor these men and women now," Fatello said, "not 10, 20 or 50 years from now."