Fallen soldiers found, honored on 'Wall of Faces'

After more than two decades of searching for a commemorative photo of each American soldier who died in the Vietnam War, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) announced in August the location of the 58,281st, and final, photograph.

Honored digitally on “The Wall of Faces” found on VVMF.org, the faces of all 58,281 Americans who died during the war can be found thanks to an endeavor which began in 2001. That fall, VVMF began a short-term effort to collect photos of those on The Wall in Washington D.C., initiating a more concerted effort eight years later. Since then, hundreds of volunteers and family members have submitted photos for the effort. Volunteers tracked down photos in many different ways.

“When VVMF began this effort, the goal was to put a face with a name for each of the 58,281 service members whose names are inscribed on The Wall,” Jim Knotts, president and CEO of VVMF, told the National Newspaper Association Foundation. “To ensure that visitors to The Wall understand that behind each name is a face –  a person with a story of a family and friends who were forever changed by their loss. Today, the Wall of Faces tells these stories through photos and remembrances left by both friends and family members. We couldn’t have done this without the tenacious work of a small army of volunteers across the country. Their ingenuity, commitment and dedication are tremendous.

“This phase is now complete, but our team and many volunteers are continuing to seek better–quality photos and adding remembrances to show the full story behind each name,” Knotts continued. “We ask the public to look at the photos on the Wall of Faces and add additional higher-quality images, as well as leave remembrances so that with the name, the photos and the remembrances, fuller stories will begin to emerge about each of these heroes.”

Honoring the homecomers

Even after the war ended, thousands of Vietnam veterans suffered due to Agent Orange exposure, PTSD and other illnesses as a direct result of their service. VVMF’s In Memory program is dedicated to those who made it home from the war, but suffered – sometimes fatal – consequences of their service.

“VVMF believes all those who served in Vietnam should be honored and remembered for their service,” the group reports. “The ‘In Memory’ program enables the families and friends of those who came home and later died the opportunity to have them be forever memorialized.

“The plaque on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in Washington, D.C. that honors these veterans was dedicated in 2004 and reads:  In Memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice.”

A group called Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial actually created the program in 1993 before VVMF began managing it and hosting the ceremony in 1999. More than 5,600 veterans have been added to the In Memory honor roll since the program began, and VVMF welcomes any submissions through its website.

“If you have a picture of a loved one or fellow veteran whose name is on The Wall, please help VVMF honor these individuals by putting a face with a name,” VVMF says. “Regardless of whether or not VVMF has a photo of the individual already, we encourage you to submit it anyway. We are trying to collect as many photos of each individual as possible.”