Ottawa ? A name is one thing. Putting a picture with the name makes it that much more personal.

That’s the thinking of Franklin County military veterans hoping to raise $5,400 to bring the Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial to Ottawa sometime next year.

They also are collecting photographs of soldiers from Franklin, Douglas and three other area counties who were killed in Vietnam to display on a separate memorial wall.

“The visual aspect of a memorial remains powerful over the years,” said Harvey Nicholson, Ottawa.

Nicholson has a list of 39 servicemen from Franklin, Douglas, Anderson, Miami and Osage counties who were killed in Vietnam. Of that total, 14 were from Douglas County.

Plans call for building a movable 32-foot long wall to display the photographs, Nicholson said. The wall could be taken to schools and community events throughout the area.

A central Kansas group has such a wall for its Vietnam War dead and it is on loan almost every week of the year, Nicholson said.

“When kids start seeing these names and pictures, they can see that these guys were about the same age they are,” Nicholson said. “A lot of them were just out of high school or college.”

Nicholson says a photo wall can be a source of inspiration and healing for surviving families and friends of the fallen.

“I hope it will challenge today’s students to take up the role of protecting the country that these veterans did and realize what it means,” Nicholson said.