Photos needed for Washington County Vietnam vets
Washington County Commission Chairman Larry Maggi is shown with Susan Meighen, director of Washington County Veterans Affairs.
James Reilly Jr. of Washington
Sherman Washington of Marianna
Joseph Karpy of Canonsburg
Lawrence Greer of Strabane
Washington native Robert Archibald Sikon died Dec. 26, 1967, in Phuoc Long, a former province in South Vietnam.
U.S. Army Pfc. Sikon’s name can be found on panel 32E, row 66, of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
His birth, service and death are documented, but Sikon is the only one of the 65 Washington County veterans to have died in the Vietnam War without a photo on the Virtual Wall of Faces.
“Back in early summer, we still needed pictures for an additional 10 names,” said Susan Meighen. “We have got it down, and, technically, now only need one picture.”
As director of veterans affairs for Washington County, Meighen is aiding the effort of the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to find a photo for each of the 3,151 Pennsylvanians whose names are listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The Wall of Faces is an effort to connect a story and face to all 58,300 service members listed. There are more than 8,000 photos still needed. The photos will also be displayed at a future education center at the site, for which a capital campaign is ongoing.
With the help of Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi, who placed a notice on his Facebook page, a photo for every Washington County veteran, except Sikon, was located and uploaded on the Virtual Wall of Faces website.
Photos for the seven veterans from Greene County have also been uploaded.
In December, Kansas became the 18th state to find a photo for their 627 killed Vietnam veterans. With only 126 photos to locate statewide, Meighen hopes Pennsylvania will soon join the list.
In addition to Sikon, the technicality Meighen referenced is another concern.
There is a photo for Donald Willis McCammon, an Army platoon sergeant from West Alexander, but the name in the caption is not his. Meighen believes it may have been placed on the page by mistake.
An email to the person who posted the photo was not answered.
“It’s very important that the community embrace its veterans, both those who are still living and those who have passed,” Meighen said. “To think of 65 (veterans) from Washington County alone in one specific war shows the magnitude of great people this county has lost.”
Anyone having a photo of Sikon or McCammon can visit www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces or contact the Washington County Veterans Affairs office at 724-228-6865.