Work on virtual wall to remember Vietnam vets continues

  • By Noah Haglund Herald Writer
  • Sunday, May 29, 2016 6:52pm
  • Local News

EVERETT — Cheri Joseph’s brother once told her he was willing to die for his country.

The Vietnam War was raging and Tony Warner, a recent Meadowdale High School student, decided to enlist in the Marine Corps. He visited his sister after completing boot camp at Fort Pendleton, California.

“That’s when he told me he really liked what he was doing, that he felt that America was the only country that could get rid of Communism in Vietnam,” Joseph said.

Warner shipped out to southeast Asia in February of 1967. On July 29 of that year, he was shot dead while on a mission in Vietnam’s Quang Tri Province. He was 18.

Warner is one of 74 men from Snohomish County depicted on the Wall of Faces, a webpage hosted by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. The same group built The Wall, the black granite Vietnam veterans memorial on the National Mall. Warner’s name appears on the virtual wall as Anthony Leach, his birth name before his mother remarried.

By last week 46,467 photos had been collected nationwide, leaving 11,808 left to go. A complete group of pictures is available for 11 states.

People in Washington — and in many other parts of the country — can thank a florist from Maui for much of the work that’s gone into tracking down photos of fallen Vietnam vets, including Warner’s.

Janna Hoehn works on the project in her spare time, when she’s not busy with weddings. Hoehn has just six photos left to complete Washington, home to more than 1,000 fallen Vietnam vets. A year ago, she was searching for six photos in Snohomish County alone.

“I put over 40 hours per week into this project and every single second has been worth it,” she said.

As she approaches her goal for the Evergreen state, Hoehn said she’s also closing in on pictures for fallen Vietnam vets from Colorado, where nine remain, and Alaska, where four remain. She completed Oregon last month.

“It’s been an amazing journey and I’ve met some of the nicest people I have ever met,” Hoehn said. “When you talk to families who have suffered such a terrible loss, they’re just so grateful that somebody wants to remember their loved one.”

Joseph learned about the Wall of Faces from an article about Hoehn’s efforts published in The Daily Herald in September 2014. She was visiting Western Washington at the time from her home in Alabama.

A retiree who once founded a staffing company for people with disabilities, Joseph recalled growing up with her younger brother in a public housing complex in north Everett, before the family moved. He was the middle of three children who, for much of their childhood, were raised by a single mother.

“We spent a lot of time at Mission Beach out on the (Tulalip) Indian Reservation, fishing and swimming and catching crawdads,” she said. “We played baseball and swam in the ocean.”

Had Warner returned from Vietnam, he might now be enjoying retirement.

Bruce Crawford hasn’t forgotten his friend. He and Warner bonded while growing up in the same Everett neighborhood. It was a place where people often were down on their luck, but nevertheless instilled strong values in their children, he said.

“As young boys raising hell, we always had to drag Tony along,” Crawford said. “Most of the time he was shy and bashful. He was a nice kid. He was probably nicer than the rest of us.”

Crawford also served in Vietnam, in the Navy. Three of his childhood acquaintances, including Warner, were killed in the war.

“We were all young kids in a foreign land a hell of a long ways from Everett, Washington,” he said.

Now retired, Crawford lives near Conway. A decade ago he built a flag pole in his front yard in Warner’s memory. The monument also honors his father and father-in-law, who were World War II vets.

Crawford last saw his friend over Christmas break in 1966. The following summer, he was flown back to the United States from Vietnam for his friend’s funeral.

“He was a normal young boy who went to war,” he said. “We were all young boys who believed that we were doing what our country needed to have done. That’s the way we were all raised.”

Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.

Missing photos

Photos are still missing for the following fallen Vietnam War veterans with Washington state connections:

King County

Ronald E. Fitzgerald (1950-1970) of Auburn. Also has ties to Nashville, Tennessee.

Kenneth E. Sargent (1936-1965) of Auburn.

Norman R. Wilson (1940-1966) of Seattle. Also has ties to Illinois.

Pierce County

Kenneth L. Newby Jr. (1948-1968) of Sumner.

Edward L. Van Horn (1947-1968) of Tacoma.

Thurston County

Edward O. Bilsie (1941-1967) of Olympia. (Hoehn has made contact with the family.)

Get involved

To submit photos or information, email Janna Hoehn at neverforgotten2014@gmail.com.

When people do not have photos, it’s still helpful to know which high school a soldier attended.

Local volunteers are needed to do footwork on the project as well.

For more information, go to vvmf.org/thewall.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

LifeWise local co-directors Darcie Hammer and Sarah Sweeny talk about what a typical classroom routine looks like on Monday, April 14, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett off-campus Bible program draws mixed reaction from parents

The weekly optional program, LifeWise Academy, takes children out of public school during the day for religious lessons.

Protesters line Broadway in Everett for Main Street USA rally

Thousands turn out to protest President Trump on Saturday in Everett, joining hundreds of other towns and cities.

An EcoRemedy employee checks a control panel of their equipment at the Edmonds Wastewater Treatment Plant on Thursday, April 17, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds launches technology to destroy PFAS

Edmonds is the first city in the country to implement… Continue reading

Over a dozen parents and some Snohomish School District students gather outside of the district office to protest and discuss safety concerns after an incident with a student at Machias Elementary School on Friday, April 18, 2025 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Parents protest handling of alleged weapon incident at Machias Elementary

Families say district failed to communicate clearly; some have kept kids home for weeks.

Irene Pfister, left, holds a sign reading “Justice for Jonathan” next to another protester with a sign that says “Major Crimes Needs to Investigate,” during a call to action Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Arlington. (Aspen Anderson / The Herald)
Arlington community rallies, a family waits for news on missing man

Family and neighbors say more can be done in the search for Jonathan Hoang. The sheriff’s office says all leads are being pursued.

Mary Ann Karber, 101, spins the wheel during Wheel of Forunte at Washington Oakes on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lunch and Wheel of Fortune with some Everett swinging seniors

She’s 101 and he’s 76. At Washington Oakes, fun and friendship are on the menu.

Everett Music Initiative announces Music at the Marina lineup

The summer concert series will take place each Thursday, July 10 to Aug. 28 at the Port of Everett.

Jordan Hoffman-Nelson watches the store cameras for a couple hours each day, often detecting 5 to 10 thefts in a single sitting. (Aspen Anderson / The Herald)
At a Lynnwood thrift store, rising shoplifting mirrors larger retail crime surge

Employees at Bella’s Voice remain alert for theft on a daily basis. They aren’t the only ones.

Connect Casino Road Director Alvaro Gullien speaks at an Everett City Council meeting to share community thoughts regarding affordable housing and preventing displacement of those that live along Casino Road on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
How will Everett’s comprehensive plan work in Casino Road?

Residents in the diverse, tight-knit neighborhood want “Investment without displacement.” The city’s plan will help achieve that, staff say.

Henry M. Jackson High School’s FIRST Robotics Competition championship robotics Team 2910 Jack in the Bot on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mill Creek robotics team celebrates world championship win

The team — known as “Jack in the Bot” — came in first place above about 600 others at a Texas world championship event last week.

Trees and foliage grow at the Rockport State Park on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 in Rockport, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Washington Legislature approves hiking Discover Pass price to $45

The price for a Washington state Discover Pass would rise by $15… Continue reading

The Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
Parental rights overhaul gains final approval in WA Legislature

The bill was among the most controversial of this year’s session.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.