Sharlot Hall Museum and the nonprofit Vision of Vets have announced the opening of Profiles in Courage, a permanent, free exhibit that lets visitors hear America’s combat veterans tell their own stories.

The exhibit is now open in the Liese and Rosenblatt Gallery in the Archives Building Lobby, 115 S. McCormick St., Prescott.

The installation features 12 museum-quality fine art portraits of combat veterans spanning World War II through modern conflicts. Each portrait comes alive through augmented reality. Visitors download the free Interactive Content app from the Apple App Store or Google Play, point their phone at a portrait, and watch the veteran begin to speak in their own voice and words. No ticket or reservation is required.

Featured veterans include Roy Hawthorne, one of the last living World War II Navajo Code Talkers; Peter Marshall, a former prisoner of war; Mike Glover, who served in Special Forces; and Phil Goode, a Vietnam War veteran and former Prescott mayor.

The exhibit carries a sense of urgency. According to the National WWII Museum, approximately 131 World War II veterans are lost every day, and fewer than 66,000 of the 16.4 million Americans who served remain alive. The location is fitting: in Yavapai County, veterans make up 9.9% of the population, well above the state and national averages.

“Every interview we delay is a story that may be lost forever,” said Anne Marie Shumate, president of Vision of Vets. “These veterans raised their families here. They are not distant history. They are our history, and this exhibit lets people stand face to face with them.”

Vision of Vets documents and preserves veterans’ stories at no cost to participants. Each veteran receives a framed 16×20 portrait, additional prints, a recorded interview, and a written essay summarizing their story. The exhibit has been supported by a donation from Patrick Kuykendall.

Vision of Vets is a 501©(3) nonprofit founded in Prescott in 2015 by Bruce Roscoe, a Vietnam veteran and professional photographer. The organization captures and memorializes the life stories of America’s combat veterans for future generations, preserving their narratives for families, schools, museums, and veterans’ organizations.

Information provided by Sharlot Hall Museum and Vision of Vets.