Wisconsin Public Radio, PBS Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum have partnered to create Wisconsin Remembers: A Face for Every Name – part of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum’s Traveling Exhibit Program.
The exhibit features a photo for each of the 1,163 Wisconsinites officially listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., plus 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 across Wisconsin gathered photos of those who were killed during the Vietnam War — reaching out to families, friends, classmates, teachers and community members who simply wanted to put faces to the names on the Wall. Wisconsin became just the fifth state in the nation to find a photo for every one of the residents listed on the Wall.
The images they found help tell the stories of the men and women behind the names — stories preserved through both the traveling exhibit and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund‘s online Wall Of Faces. This digital memorial features a for each individual honored on the Wall, where visitors can share memories, post pictures and connect with others who remember them.
Bring Wisconsin Remembers to your community
The Wisconsin Veterans Museum makes this exhibit — 17 portable indoor display banners — available to local libraries, historical societies, schools and community spaces throughout the state. Hosting the exhibit offers a powerful way to honor Wisconsin’s Vietnam veterans and invite reflection, remembrance, and conversation.
If you would like to bring Wisconsin Remembers: A Face for Every Name to your community or event, 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, though shipping fees may apply.
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.
