Richardson challenges New Mexicans to help collect photos of names listed on National Vietnam Veterans' Memorial

Gov. Bill Richardson is calling on New Mexicans to support a project under way to collect photos of all names listed on the National Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

Richardson issued a challenge Wednesday for New Mexicans to get behind the "National Call for Photos."

"I want New Mexico to be the first state in the country to gather all photos of our heroes who lost their lives during the Vietnam War," Richardson said. "Our state has a rich military heritage and a strong sense of service to our country, so I ask that New Mexicans embrace this latest call for action with the same enthusiasm we've always shown for our veterans."

The photos will be part of a permanent digital display at a Vietnam Veterans' Education Center to be built near The Wall and the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, according to a news release from the Governor's Office.

The news release said that the names of 58,261 fallen soldiers are listed on The Wall, including 400 New Mexicans. The state Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Monument in Angel Fire has already collected about half of New Mexico's photos.

FedEx Office is a partner in the "National Call for Photos" effort and is making scanning facilities available in all of its more than 1,600 locations nationwide, according to the news release. People with photos can visit any FedEx Office store and have their photo scanned and submitted to the National Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Fund, along with an information sheet, free of charge.

The news release said people who do not have a FedEx Office location close to them can visit the Web site www.VVMFCenter.org and learn how to scan a photo from their home computer.