By Kathy A. Megyeri
When I recently visited the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, Penn., I was struck by an exhibit in the lobby entitled “We Will Remember, The Memorial Dog Tag Project” started by Connor Nicol, a 12-year-old who, after looking at pictures from WWII, was impressed by the young soldiers who put their lives on the line to protect America and free Europe from Hitler’s tyranny. Connor was inspired to form “We Will Remember,” a nonprofit that makes and distributes dog tags of the nation’s fallen veterans from the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.
Conner printed up cards of the names and hometowns of the fallen and attached facsimiles of their dog tags because, “I want people to care about those whose names are on the dog tags—to say their names and keep them within their thoughts and prayers.” Connor, now 15, sends those cards and dog tags to anyone who wants them: individuals, church groups, Scout Troops, schools and veterans’ service organizations.
In one case, he even made a custom dog tag for an American Legion member who’d lost a best friend. Connor is worried that these days, decades later, many names have been forgotten, especially meaningful to him since so many died so young and never had a change to live and enjoy their lives.
Using his personal embosser, Connor can make 20-30 dog tags per hour and has made more than 50,000 dog tags to honor service members. He started this project small, donating $500 of his “chore money,” but his mother Beth (a Navy veteran) helped him create an official charitable organization which accepts tax-deductible donations.
Connor was touched particularly by the Korean War because it is known as the “Forgotten War.” Connor uses information from the National Archives and invites people to “adopt” a tag, remember the veteran who sacrificed his or her life, and display the tag where it’s visible.
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So far, he’s made over 120,000 tags and 85,000 have been “adopted,” so he’s included all 38,000 who died in the Korean War and 58,000 who died in Vietnam. His tags are free, and his goal is to have every person in the U.S. who wants one to have a dog tag. (Connor asks for a donation so he can continue to fund the project).
Connor attained Eagle Scout status in his Scout Troop 177 of Hampton, Virginia. He eventually wants to become an infantry officer with the Marine Corps, but until then, he will continue to create dog tags because it helps people understand the sacrifices that military personnel make and helps people gain a larger sense of patriotism and keep the name of the service member alive.
“Although there are many monuments and memorials, it’s important for every name to be remembered as an individual person too,” says Connor. “No one can remember all the names of those who have died serving our country but everyone can remember one name and, in that way, we will remember everyone.”
Connor can be contacted at connor@wewillremember.us
