To the Editor:
As we approach Veteran’s Day, I would like to share two very important numbers with you: 58,276 and 405.
As of Memorial Day, 2019, there are 58,276 names on the national Vietnam Veteran’s memorial, the Wall of Faces, honoring service members of the U.S. Armed Forces who fought in Vietnam, those who died in service in Vietnam/South East Asia, and those service members who went unaccounted for during the war.
A 1973 fire in St. Louis, MO destroyed their military records, leaving no photos behind. In 2013, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund set out to find the pictures to preserve their legacies and sacrifices. As of October 2019, only 405 names are still missing pictures.
Across the country, volunteers and organizations like the National Newspaper Association and the Newspaper Association Managers (NAM) are helping the program leave no one behind.