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Nationwide, the “Call for Photos” for The Education Center is picking up steam. The Honolulu Star Advertiser recently ran a full page ad, “Never forget a face,” designed to urge islanders to help locate photographs of Hawaii’s Vietnam veterans whose names are on The Wall. The ad listed names, birthdates and hometowns of all 276 “Island Heroes.”

In Connecticut, Central Connecticut State University has issued a call for photos of Connecticut’s fallen veterans, and students at Coventry High School have gotten on the bandwagon. They have been collecting information about Vietnam for more than a year. “As they’ve researched our service people who have died in Vietnam, they’ve found photos, explored biographies, talked to families, and have become so excited, so interested, so passionate,” said Coventry High principal Michelle Mullaly.

Memphis Grizzlies’ owner Michael Heisley donated $2.5 million and Peter Holt, owner of the San Antonio Spurs donated $1 million to The Education Center at The Wall. In addition to putting “Faces to the names on The Wall,” Holt said the project will “also help people understand as less and less people serve in the military what the military has done for the United States.” Holt, who is a decorated Vietnam veteran and formerly led the Education Center fundraising effort, has vowed to match any donations made by other Texas residents.

For more information about how YOU can contribute a photo of someone whose name appears on The Wall, or make a monetary contribution to the Education Center, go to the website http://www.vvmf.org/