Wisconsin Public Radio Seeks Volunteers to Find Vietnam Veteran Memorial Photos

Wisconsin Public Radio and its public broadcasting partners are seeking volunteers to find photos of the 1,244 Wisconsinites whose names are listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. Nearly 1,000 photos have been found as part of the "A Face for Every Name Project," but images of service men from southeast Wisconsin who lost their lives during the Vietnam War are still needed.

"The response from volunteers around the state has been wonderful - this project has really moved forward with their involvement," noted Mike Crane, Director of Wisconsin Public Radio. "We're committed to finding every Wisconsin photo and hope more folks will join our effort this summer," he added. The photos will be part of a "Wall of Faces" in a new Education Center in Washington D.C. being developed by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the organization behind "the Wall."

Madison-based volunteer David Reichenberger said the project was a great way to honor those who lost their lives in the war. "I enjoy the sense of reverie that the process of searching for and finding pictures creates...this sense of being with them, all these years later," he said. "Two, I knew, and this project brought them and the others into sharper focus and gave good attention to their sad, but true, reality," Reichenberger added.

The following men from Milwaukee still need a photo for the wall:

• FRANK GOMEZ; MILWAUKEE
• DATE BORN: 2/8/1930 DATE DIED: 8/23/1968
• JOHN E MILANOWSKI; MILWAUKEE
• DATE BORN: 5/5/1947 DATE DIED: 2/19/1968

Reichenberger says focusing on service members from specific regions of the state will help finish this project and school photos are a good place to start a search. "If you know the town the veteran was from, you could meet with the local high school principal, explain what you are trying to do, ask to see the yearbooks in the library from that era, find his picture, make a copy -- done," he concluded.

WPR has set up a dedicated webpage with more information about the project, the partners involved, tips for finding photos and links to upload photos. To get started go to www.wpr.org/veterans.

About Wisconsin Public Radio: Wisconsin Public radio is a service of the University of Wisconsin Extension, the Educational Communications Board and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. For more than 95 years, WPR has served the people of Wisconsin with quality news, classical music, and talk radio programming. Listen, learn more and donate online at www.wpr.org.

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