Project To Collect Photos Of Every Wisconsin Soldier Killed In Vietnam War Nears Its Goal

While a project to get a photo for every Vietnam War veteran killed in the war is closing in on its official goal, it plans to continue collecting beyond the number supplied by the Pentagon.

“A Face for Every Name” wants a picture to go with the name of every Wisconsin veteran killed in the war. However, there are conflicting numbers for that death count. While the U.S. Department of Defense lists 1,161 Wisconsin casualties, the Highground Memorial in the central Wisconsin city of Neillsville lists 1,244.

Bryce Kelley, who spearheaded the project with help from Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television, said the discrepancy comes down to location.

“A lot of times you had Wisconsin soldiers who might have been in school in Minnesota, in Illinois, in Michigan. They would have been enlisted in those communities, and therefore they might have been considered a Michigan casualty or an Illinois casualty,” said Kelley.

The project still needs one or two more pictures to meet the official Defense Department’s number. It is still looking to get pictures for the larger, Highground Memorial figures.