He’s finished 42 of them.

He has 296 to go.

“I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me,” says Colin Kimball, military historian and artist.

The native Texas has outlined his mission and project for the foreseeable future: paint a portrait for every military member — from his county — who’s died serving America.

It all started after he finished a tribute to his closest friend, a soldier he considered “a brother” who died fighting in Vietnam.

The artist will unveil his newest contributions in preparation for Veterans Day on Friday. The finished works will be displayed for good, at the local courthouse.

“Luckily this building has a lot of walls,” Kimball told KHOU, of the Collin County Courthouse.

The painter’s research has not only opened his eyes, but the collective eyes of the community, and has even provided the families of the fallen warriors with things they never knew about.

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Ahead of the dedication Roselyn Constant got to see her uncle’s portrait for the first time. Weldon “Stokes” Stallcup died during World War II before Constant was born. She says it’s been a painful memory for her family her entire life.

“We didn’t talk about it. And now Colin’s research is telling us so much. We’ve opened Pandora’s box,” Constant said.

Kimball does research on every soldier he does a portrait for. Walking the hallways with the artist is like walking with an military encyclopedia, Kimball is able to rattle off names, dates and details of each life.

“I get to know them. It’s the least I can do,” Kimball said.

The unveiling is, naturally, open to the public.