May 20, 2016 3 min read

The Vietnam War was a troubling time in American history. Thousands of American soldiers gave their lives in the war, and efforts continue to ensure they are remembered and honored.

The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has partnered with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to locate photos for each of the more than 58,000 dead and missing soldiers whose names are inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

This project, known as Wall of Faces Program, was created to preserve the legacy of those who sacrificed all in Vietnam.

According to Joan Nissley, director of communications for the Pennsylvania DMVA, there are 3,148 service members from Pennsylvania whose names are remembered on the wall. As of May 12, only 407 photos of these service members remain to be found.

“By having their photos and being able to display them on the wall down in Washington, D.C., it really keeps their (veterans) legacy alive for future generations,” Nissley said. “It honors their ultimate sacrifice that they gave for our commonwealth and our country.”

Each photo of a veteran that has been acquired by the program has been sent in by loved ones or veterans. The VVMF needs help in locating the remaining photos to complete the project. Any type of photo will be accepted, not just the ones in military uniform.

Though there are hundreds of photos that still need to be found across the state, there are only 13 that need to be located of service members from Washington County.

These are their names and branches: Samuel H. Barnett, Navy; Edwin H. Curtiss, Army; Robert K. Hice, Marine Corps; George R. Johnson, Army; Thomas M. Lejeune, Army; David B Matykiewicz, Army; Donald W. McCammon, Army; James A. McEwen, Air Force; Thomas A. Preaux, Air Force; Robert A. Sikon, Army; Sherman T. Washington, Marine Corps; Richard L. Windsheimer, Marine Corps; and Roland S. Zierden, Marine Corps.

No photos are needed for service members from Greene County.

The Pennsylvania DMVA asks that members of the Washington County community who know of the Washington County service members and have photos to pass them on to the program by visiting http://www.vvmf.org/how-to-submit. Photos can be submitted online or by mail.

“We want to be one of the states who have found all their photos,” Nissley said.

In addition to the Wall of Faces Program, there is a campaign to build the Education Center at The Wall. This center will provide a historical account of the events that took place on the battlefield and the homefront during the Vietnam era, and act as a home for the soldier photos. The Education Center also will display the hundreds of thousands of items left at the wall over the years.

It will take more than $100 million to make the Education Center a reality. To help preserve the legacies of those on the wall, donations can be made at https://donate.vvmf.org/page/contribute/build-the-education-center.