Lest We Forget: ARCO/Murray Completes Two New Exhibits for the Milwaukee War Memorial Center Honoring POW and MIA

Dedicated on Veterans Day 1957, the War Memorial Center adorns Lake Michigan and Milwaukee’s city skyline. The building, even in its thoughtful design, serves as a standing testament to the local heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. It’s an iconic Milwaukee Landmark (designated in 1974) with a mission to ‘Honor the Dead – Serve the Living’ through different memorials, events, educational programming and exhibits. Two new exhibits were unveiled in the summer of 2024 titled ‘Lest We Forget.’

Kelly Beck, Director of Business Development in ARCO’s Milwaukee office, has deep roots with the local veterans community, serving on the Advisory Council for the War Memorial Center. She’s also an active volunteer with the Center for Veteran’s Issues (CVI) and ARCO’s Veterans Network affinity group. That passion led to ARCO/Murray building the ‘Lest We Forget’ exhibits as a not-for-profit project.

‘Lest We Forget — Remembering Wisconsin POW/MIA’ features informative static and interactive displays with the stories and experiences of local brave service members held as Prisoners of War (POW) or who are/were Missing in Action (MIA). One exhibit titled ‘Unbroken: Life as a Prisoner of War’ provides a prison cell experience where visitors will peer into a prison door to view a POW cell from the infamous ‘Hanoi Hilton.’

“The stories of Wisconsin’s POW and MIA veterans should stand for time immemorial. These are unbelievable tales of heroism, courage, and adversity. We owe a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. The least we can do is honor their service and tell their stories for future generations to remember the price of freedom,” said Dan Buttery, President and CEO of the War Memorial Center.

The exhibit also has a handcrafted “dog tag chandelier” comprised of 530 dog tags. Each dog tag represents ten POW from Wisconsin, 5,298 in total, dating back to the Civil War. There’s a table setting with a single seat and rose to honor the fallen along with an interactive display to hear stories while viewing names set in acrylic around the exhibit of all Wisconsin POW/MIA from World War I on. ARCO/Murray coordinated the entire build including managing the design and vendors needed to execute the powerful displays. 

“We are proud to stand behind our veterans and support the War Memorial Center through the design and construction of two new exhibits. These exhibits not only honor the Wisconsin POW/MIA. but serve as a tangible reminder of their sacrifice and ensure their memory is preserved for future generations,” Kelly Beck with ARCO/Murray.

The exhibit opened to the public on the anniversary of D-Day, June 6th.

WAR MEMORIAL EXHIBIT SNAPSHOTS