FULTON, Mo. - Through a joint effort by the Fulton Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Callaway County Commission, the Vietnam War Memorial has been updated with more names of Callaway County residents who fought in the war.
Larry Underwood, senior vice commander of Fulton Veterans of Foreign War Post 2657, and Callaway County Western District Commissioner Doc Kritzer checked out the new memorial Friday.
Fifty-five new names were added to the redesigned memorial, which now has 252 names.
The Callaway County Commission hired Fulton resident Bryant Liddle, owner of B-Line Engraving, to prepare the revised large plaque memorial.
Names were rearranged in alphabetical order on the memorial to add names not available when the memorial was first erected in the courthouse in the early 1980s.
Underwood praised the efforts by the VFW post to track down the additional names of veterans involved in the Vietnam War and the Callaway County Commission for financing the updated memorial.
Kritzer said work also has started to update and honor veterans of the Gulf War and Afghanistan in memorials at the courthouse.
Underwood said he was pleased the updated Vietnam War memorial was completed before Memorial Day.
On Monday, Fulton VFW members will be accepting donations for Buddy Poppies at Family Video on North Bluff Street in Fulton.
"We will provide hot dogs for children while accepting donations for Buddy Poppies," Underwood said.
All proceeds from Buddy Poppy donations go to the VFW's Veterans Relief Fund. The fund provides assistance to any veteran found to be in need.
"The needy veteran does not have to be a resident of Callaway County," Underwood said.