Wisconsin Public Radio, PBS Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum have created Wisconsin Remembers: A Face for Every Name – as part of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum’s Traveling Exhibit Program. The traveling exhibit features a photo for each of the 1,163 Wisconsinites officially listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The exhibit also includes additional photos for the names that are listed on The Highground Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Neillsville, WI. Wisconsin Remembers is a tribute to lost life and lost potential.
From the mid-2000s through 2016 volunteers collected pictures of those who were killed during the Vietnam War from friends and family, students, teachers and others who simply wanted to put a face to the names listed on the Wall in Washington, D.C. Wisconsin was just the fifth state in the nation to find a photo for every resident listed on the Wall.
The images they found help tell the story of the men and women who are listed on the Wall. They also make up part of an interactive, online Wall Of Faces by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund which has a page dedicated to honoring and remembering every person on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. which allows people to share memories, post pictures and connect with each other.
See Wisconsin Remembers
November 8-13: The State Capitol Rotunda
November 9: Operation Honor: A Salute to Veterans Program
Waukesha Schuetze Rec Center,1120 Baxter St, Waukesha, WI 53186,
November 8-11: The Wall outdoor version hosted by VetsRoll
Culvers, 2676 Cranston Rd, Beloit, WI 53511
Bring the exhibit to your town
The Wisconsin Veterans Museum has made the exhibit – which consists of 17 portable indoor display banners – available to local libraries, historic societies, schools and community spaces throughout the state. If you are interested in having the exhibit at your event or in your community, contact Gregory Krueger, Curator of Exhibits at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, by email or phone at 608.261.0541. There is no cost to have the exhibit, but there are costs for shipping the exhibit.
Thank you
Thanks to all the volunteers, friends and family members that submitted photos. Special thanks to Bryce Kelley, Mary Jane Herber and volunteers at the Brown County Library, Andrew Johnson, Terry Kramer, Don Jones, Veterans Coming Home, Greenleaf Media, and SpeedPro Imaging and Adams Outdoor Advertising for their creation of an outdoor version of the exhibit.
Wisconsin Remembers is a partnership of Wisconsin Public Radio, PBS Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, the Wisconsin Newspapers Association, Milwaukee PBS, WUWM and The Highground.
*The official U.S. Department of Defense and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund record of Wisconsinites listed on the Wall is 1,163. Two Wisconsin names have been added to the Wall in D.C. since our exhibit was created in 2016. The Highground, a Vietnam veterans memorial park based in Neillsville, WI, includes 1,244 Wisconsinites. We are working with both lists to try and provide the most inclusive and documented recognition that we can. An updated exhibit printing is being discussed.
