web1_Melanie-Mizenko.jpg

Beyond the Byline: Tops on my bucket list is not thinking about a bucket list

web1_PSD081615PrideFest_2.jpg

NEPA PrideFest 2016 will be held at Montage Mountain

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is searching for photos of veterans of the Vietnam War whose names appear on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.</p><p>The state department has partnered with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to locate a photo for each Pennsylvanian whose name is inscribed on the memorial.</p><p>The photos will then be added to the Vietnam Veteran Memorial Fund (VVMF) Virtual Wall of Faces. There are over 58,000 photos in that collection, including 3,148 photos of service members from Pennsylvania &#8212; however, more than 400 photos of veterans from the commonwealth are still needed.</p><p>In Luzerne County, officials are searching for photos of 19 veterans.</p><p>Joan Nissley, spokeswoman for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said the campaign to find the missing photos launched in October 2009 &#8212; since then, more than 45,000 photos have been located.</p><p>Nissley&#8217;s organization learned about the VVMF in the spring of 2015 when there were 669 photos of Pennsylvania&#8217;s Vietnam veterans missing.</p><p>&#8220;In May 2015, we actively began notifying our stakeholders and the general public about the program,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Since that time, the VVMF has renamed the program the Wall of Faces.&#8221;</p><p>Nissley said her organization is reaching out to anyone who can spread the word to help find the remaining 407 photos.</p><p>&#8220;We truly need everyone&#8217;s help in locating and submitting photos in order to keep the legacies of these service members alive for future generations,&#8221; she said.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Military.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Military.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Travis Kellar</p><p>tkellar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs reports that over 400 photos of veterans from the Vietnam War are needed.</p><p>Photos of the following Luzerne County veterans are sought:</p><p>&#8226; George B. Ayers</p><p>&#8226; Leonard T. Bish</p><p>&#8226; Joseph J. Borick</p><p>&#8226; William E. Brunn</p><p>&#8226; Charles G. Hughes</p><p>&#8226; John R. Kreidler</p><p>&#8226; Lawrence J. McRae</p><p>&#8226; Boyd E. Morrow</p><p>&#8226; Gary L. Owens</p><p>&#8226; Robert R. Perrins</p><p>&#8226; Michael J. Purcell</p><p>&#8226; Richard M. Rovinsky</p><p>&#8226; Richard R. Rynkiewicz</p><p>&#8226; Frank J. Shovlin</p><p>&#8226; Joseph M. Sinkewicz</p><p>&#8226; Edmund Skunda</p><p>&#8226; Ralph E. Smith</p><p>&#8226; Francis J. Valkos</p><p>&#8226; Gerald Woods</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Department of Military and Veterans Affairs searching for photos of Vietnam War veterans throughout the state