APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – A permanent memorial wall honoring Wisconsin natives who died during the Vietnam War was officially dedicated Tuesday, marking 50 years to the day since the war ended on April 30, 1975.
The Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans Wall, located behind the Vets and Friends Coffee House on North Richmond Street, features the names and photographs of all 1,249 Wisconsin service members who died in the conflict.
Emplify Health celebrates life-saving efforts of donors during ‘National Donate Life Month’
The outdoor exhibit, made up of 17 aluminum panels, is open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is free to visit.
“It’s called a face to every name,” said Jack Voight, the Vietnam veteran who led the effort to build the wall. “It sends another message of it being unbelievable what that person went through.”
Voight, who served in Vietnam and Cambodia with the U.S. Army in 1969 and 1970, said he wanted to create something more personal and accessible than the national memorial in Washington, D.C.
Unlike the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall, the Appleton wall features full names, faces, and county-by-county biographical details of each fallen service member.
“Every county in this state, 72 counties, had a veteran, except for one,” Voight said. “That was Iron County, which had a veteran who died in Vietnam.”
The wall is organized by county and includes a locator panel to help visitors find names. Standing seven feet tall and over 50 feet long, the memorial also features flags, eagle statues, and a fallen soldier marker with the inscription “All Gave Some. Some Gave All.”
The wall’s total cost was about $70,000, funded entirely by donations, including a $25,000 contribution from Appleton’s VFW Post 2778.
The dedication ceremony included speeches from local veterans, officials from the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, and a 21-gun salute.
For many Vietnam veterans in attendance, the wall provided a long-overdue tribute.
“I’ve never met some of these people now living in the state of Wisconsin, but I do recognize some of the names from neighboring counties,” said Wayne Martin, a Vietnam veteran in the Third Marine Division.
He also hinted at expanding services at the site, including free meals for veterans and their families, which the nonprofit Vets and Friends already provides monthly.
“Please remember, if you see a veteran in the store or gas station, just shake his hand and say thank you. That’s going to make that veteran’s day,” Martin said.
