Steve Conto of Menasha, Wisconsin is one of the “Keepers of
the Flame” who is profiled in my book, “Died
on the Fourth of July.” For more than 10 years he has been on a quest to
find and record the graves of all 1,247 men from Wisconsin who died in Vietnam.
He calls it “The Final Bridge.”
Today I got the most amazing email from Steve. For the third
time he has erected his own Wisconsin Vietnam Memorial Wall at his
home for Memorial Day. Here’s the story, in his own words, along with some photos.
After months of hard work, I was
finally able to put up my Wisconsin Vietnam Memorial Wall today in my front
yard. My legs, back and shoulders are sore but well worth it. The wall will be
up till May 30th. My address is 1031 Elmwood Dr. Menasha, WI. This
marks the 3rd year I have put it up in my yard over Memorial Day. This is
the first year I included all the names from Wisconsin. I added over 800
names this year. I've calculated that there is over 500 feet of label
tape on the wall. Each name is listed on the panel number that
corresponds to the wall panel in DC as well as the line they are on, on that
panel.
The wall lists all of the 1247 sons we
lost. 31 are MIAs, 1/2 were 20 or 21 years old, 34 are buried in
Arlington, 220 were teenagers, 6 served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. They are
buried in 28 states outside of Wisconsin, including Mexico and Puerto Rico.
I don't know if anyone has ever done
this. I just wanted them to be honored and remembered for their family, friends
and comrades.
Respectfully,
Steve Conto
The Final Bridge
The Final Bridge
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