Hawaii had one of the highest casualty rates in the Vietnam War, and a veterans organization is here this week seeking photographs and tributes to honor the state’s 276 fallen service members for a display at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund has initiated a campaign to collect a photograph for each of the more than 58,000 men and women, including 276 from Hawaii, whose names are inscribed on The Wall — a memorial made up of two polished, black granite walls each 246 feet long.

It bears the names of servicemen killed in action or missing in action when the memorial was constructed in 1982. They are listed in chronological order from 1959 to 1975.

Martin T. Kobylarczyk, outreach coordinator for the photo project, said VVMF staff will be here through Friday to launch the Hawaii Call for Photos. The photos of Hawaii service members will be part of the "Wall of Faces" exhibit in a planned $85 million education center adjacent to The Wall.

Images of the people on The Wall will be shown on their birthdays.

Kobylarczyk’s organization has already received responses from friends and family members of four Vietnam War casualties who were from Hawaii. He said that there are 16,560 veterans who listed Hawaii as their home.

WALTER Browne, from Haiku, was 23 and an Army specialist 4 when he was killed in Binh Duong province on Aug. 2, 1969.

Gail Toma Hamai, Browne’s classmate at Maui High School, left this note on The Wall after visiting the Washington, D.C., memorial last year: "I remember Walter as a kind and sweet kid. Growing up in Haiku, Maui, we were classmates since the first grade through graduation in 1965. I never knew his wife or if he had children. Thank you Walter for your great sacrifice. Though you left so soon, your memory lives on with your classmates of MHS ’65."

Another fellow Maui High School graduate, Dan Shishido, added: "Walter, thanks for the ultimate sacrifice. I wish I knew you better in high school. We were so young then. For our little school, we had a large number guys & gals who joined the military, and a number who also made it to Nam. I was in PhuBai, 70-71. Gordon Kaaiakamanu was also there. Saw Tony Almasin & Ron Masusako in Saigon when I in-processed. The MHS Class of 65 thinks of you often."

Another Hawaii Vietnam veteran is Spc. 4 Donald Marshall II, 20, who was killed in Binh Thuan province on Feb. 19, 1968.

His sister, Lorna M. Taitano, wrote: "Donald was raised by his mother in Hawaii. He was a good son and brother. He ran cross country even though he suffered from asthma. He joined the army. The 101st airborne even though he was an only son and could have avoided going to war in Vietnam. He was a dedicated soldier and friend to his fellow soldiers. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He is greatly missed."

Kobylarczyk said University of Hawaii Army ROTC officials also will donate photographs of their alumni who died in Vietnam.

The construction of the 35,000-square-foot underground center is being managed by Tishman Construction Corp. It will feature a courtyard and, in addition to the photographs, will showcase some of the more than 150,000 items that have been left at the wall, a timeline of key events of the Vietnam War, and a history of the memorial. In November 2003, President George W. Bush signed legislation authorizing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to build the center.

The Vietnam War Memorial, designed by architect Maya Lin and dedicated in 1982, is northeast of the Lincoln Memorial and is maintained by the National Park Service. More than 3 million people visit it each year.

In 1993, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial was erected south of the Wall and north of the Reflecting Pool. It was designed by Glenna Goodacre and dedicated to the women who served in the Vietnam War, most of whom were nurses.

The honorary chairman of the education center’s fundraising campaign is retired Gen. Colin Powell. To date, the organization has raised $31 million.

More information on the Hawaii Call for Photos can be obtained at the organization’s website: vvmf.org/hawaii_cfp, or by calling 703-927-8150.