Museum staff began planning for the Faces In The Sand project in early 2007 with a desire to tell the stories of those veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks. At the time, it had been six years since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan and three since the beginning of the war in Iraq, and though a political issue in the 2008 presidential campaign, the museum staff felt compelled to tell these stories of sacrifice by Wisconsin veterans.

In the spring of 2008, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in concert with Wisconsin Public Television interviewed veterans who served post-9/11 in Iraq and Afghanistan. On June 1, 2009, the Faces In The Sand exhibit appeared in the museum gallery, along with touch screens featuring the interviews. Here are their stories.