Honoring the Greatest Generation’s journey

How the WWII Wall of Honor project expanded from Arkansas to Washington, D. C. VA Secretary Doug Collins has a new way of honoring Veterans at VA Central Office (VACO).

The WWII Veterans of the Greatest Generation that now adorn the walls at VACO stem from a project that began more than 12 years ago at the Little Rock VA Medical Center (LRVAMC), a project called, Wall of Honor. VA Secretary Doug Collins observes Wall of Honor portraits outside of his office. “This Wall of Honor traveled from Arkansas to the SECVA suite as a solemn reminder that we can never lose sight of who we’re fighting for.

From the Greatest Generation to our newest recruits, the mission remains the same. Deliver for Veterans. It’s an honor to have them watching over our work,” said Secretary Doug Collins.

How did the Wall of Honor make its way to D. C.? The missing link was VA photographer Eugene Russell.

Late 2025, Russell reported to a medical appointment at his local VA medical center like millions of Veterans do each year. A wall decorated with unique portraits caught his eye. He walked around the corner to see dozens more, and the next corner, hundreds lining the walls.

All of which were portraits of WWII Veterans holding photographs from more than 80 years ago. Russell pulled an employee aside and asked about the portraits. He then established a line of communication and began planning to display the portraits at VACO.

Over the next several weeks he worked diligently with the local public affairs officer, collecting dozens of photographs and write-ups. The project’s roots Communications Staff Jeff Bowen, Anita Plummer, and Tony Wickliffe pose for a photo at the Wall of Honor at Little Rock VA Medical Center. In fall 2013, three long-time communications staffers at LRVAMC —Brian House, Anita Plummer and Jeff Bowen—stood in front of a wall called Veterans Serving Veterans, which showcased VA employees who were also Veterans.

They wanted to do something new, something that would be impactful to both staff and Veterans. Many ideas were tossed around, but in the end, they determined their focus would be on the United States’ Greatest Generation, specifically those who served during the WWII service period (Dec. 7, 1941, through Dec.

31, 1946). Their mission was to locate WWII Veterans and photograph them holding their service picture or a picture relevant to their service (such as a ship or aircraft they served on). Little did they know, after they displayed the first 10-15 portraits of WWII Veterans on the newly minted Wall of Honor, they would never again have trouble finding WWII Veterans for the wall for the rest of their careers.

From the beginning, it became a well-known initiative involving everyone that worked at Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS). Honoring the Greatest Generation Over the years, the project expanded from a photograph to also presenting WWII Veterans with commemorative coins, and then later a video series titled, A Lifetime of Service: WWII Veterans Stories. Since the project’s inception in 2013, several hundred CAVHS employees have made the call to their communications office to ask if the WWII Veteran sitting in front of them has been photographed and coined.

Each time, in response, the office searches diligently through its past work to see if there is a new opportunity. Now, recently retired from VA, Bowen and Plummer reminisce with current and past staff that assisted with the project. “I used to walk the halls and see people looking at the portraits, and I’d say, ‘Let me tell you a story,’” Plummer said, as she laughed and held back tears.

“There is a story behind every portrait, and for a lot of those stories we had to do a little off-roading to get there! ” Stories ranged from a tail gunner who was shot out of a plane and landed in a hayfield to a Navy Veteran who told them he swabbed decks but asked not to tell his caregiver because she would put him to work. There was also a Veteran with a dog named Bubba who was just as much a part of the family as his own kin, among many other stories.

“When I was taking those pictures, my goal was to capture that moment in time,” Bowen recalled. “A moment in time that would cause someone to stop briefly, and you hope they will stand there for a little longer,” he recalled. “It’s humbling to me that every time I walk those halls, I see people staring at those pictures.

I know it is as much the subject matter as it is the photo. ” To date, the Wall of Honor now includes 411 WWII Veterans displayed on 11 walls in both CAVHS’ main facilities (John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in Little Rock & Eugene J.

Towbin Medical Center in North Little Rock). The latest expansion of the project occupies prime real estate at VACO. The Veterans, a vast majority who have passed, watch over VA and the care it delivers.

From Veterans greeted at the door at a local VA medical center in Arkansas all the way up to the Secretary’s Office in D. C. where the highest-level decisions are made.