Woman Dedicated 4 Years To Finding Photos of Over 1,400 Vietnam Fallen

Woman's search for photos of those killed in Vietnam lands in Colorado Springs
The Gazette
By Ellie Cole, Special to The Gazette
Updated: July 15, 2015

"It is a very important project," Hoehn said. "Putting a face with a name changes the whole dynamic of the Vietnam War. When you see a face, it makes the person real."

It has been a journey of more than 1,400 photos and four years of Janna Hoehn's life.

"I'm really proud of that," Hoehn said.

Hoehn is a volunteer for the Faces Never Forgotten, a program committed to finding photos of each fallen Vietnam veteran to place on the Wall of Faces at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall site. Hoehn first visited this spot in Washington, D.C., about six years ago and stared at the wall with tears running down her face. She didn't know anyone personally who had died in Vietnam, but there were thousands who had and many of them didn't have a photo to link with a name at the wall.

Hoehn took to nine states to support the effort of finding photos, and she has landed on El Paso County in search of photos for 12 area men who died in the war.

"Vietnam was my generation's war," she said. "It was every day of my high school years."

Hoehn searches newspaper articles to help her find missing photos. She is one of a handful of volunteers working on the project.
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