Kewaunee High School home to new "Veterans Honor Roll" memorial wall

Kewaunee High School’s newest feature honors graduates who gave their lives for the country. A dedication was held for the school’s new “Veterans Honor Roll” wall Sunday.

11 names were read during the ceremony, all representing Kewaunee High School graduates who died while serving in WWII, Vietnam, or the Korean War. All those soldiers are now memorialized on the school’s Veterans Honor Roll wall.

“I think the veterans had paid the supreme sacrifice for their country and I think that they should be recognized,” said Donnie Kickbusch, a Korean War Veteran.

Kickbusch got the idea for the wall last fall.

“I started putting things together, researching at the local veteran’s office and it went quite fast,” said Kickbusch.

A Kewaunee high graduate himself, Kickbusch knows most of the men featured on the wall.

“Lloyd Walters, he was a neighbor of mine… Muhofski he was a neighbor on the other side,” said Kickbusch, pointing to their pictures on the wall. “It’s very emotional.”

“I just – got goosebumps,” said Christine Mayer. “It’s awesome.”

“We’ve seen the pictures in our grandparents house and there they are,” said Yvonne Stock.

Mayer and Stock’s two uncles are featured on the wall.

“I’m glad he [Kickbusch] did it,” said Stock.

“This is just a great honor to have it in our school,” said Kewaunee High Principal Michael Bennett.

Bennett is glad the project could work out, and that Kickbusch was so dedicated to the idea.

“I thought it was just amazing that he was able to find out the smallest details of some of the fallen Kewaunee high school graduates,” said Bennett.

The dedication was an emotional event with plenty of elements to honor the fallen and the veterans in attendance. But Kickbusch hopes the wall will serve as a daily reminder to honor those who served.

“Freedom is not free,” said Kichbusch.