Hereabouts at that time enlistees and draftees alike, even those from across the border in Wisconsin, were processed for military service in Minneapolis.  

Barron County, Wisconsin was and remains one of many patriotic hubs, proud to remember and even revere deserving veterans from all our country's wars. An example of this is the locally designed bronze plaque permanently displayed at the county government center in Barron. 

To honor all who served the Vietnam era, a committee of Vietnam War veterans was charged to identify images representing all services, to note county members killed in the conflict, and to conceive a fitting inscription to complete the tribute. 

The inscribed tribute reads: 

For the lucky ones it was '365 days and a wake-up.' It was the 'Freedom Bird' and a return to 'the World.' They would do anything--anything at all--for each other. For that is what they had--each other. Those who served America in uniform at that time felt the sting of prejudice and blame from the greater society more than they felt the gratitude of a thankful nation. 

Of the nearly 3 million Americans who served the Vietnam conflict, 304,000 were wounded, over 58,000 men and women died, and more than 3,000 became prisoners of war, went missing in action, or remain unaccounted for to this day. For country, for liberty, and for each other, the honor this plaque represents was by the grace of God earned many times over through the sacrifice of these patriots.