EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. A doctor arrived and gave his shaken mother a sedative. Along with its wave of death, it scarred many people, especially those closest to the men that died fighting the . 26 Similar Questions Those designated by a plus sign were considered to be missing in action when the war ended. All other individual draftee files from that period were destroyed by the Selective Service System in 1978, in accordance with approved records retention schedules. Download our app to find events, locations and programs near you. Of the 7,262 blacks who died, 6,955, or 96 percent, were Army and Marine enlisted men. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. It called for the registration of all 18 to 26-year old males, with induction to take place at 18 1/2 if so ordered by the local draft board. The same profile holds true for the Marine Corps, where 87 percent of all officer casualties (821 of 938) were warrant officers, lieutenants or captains. Officer casualties in Vietnam, including warrant officers, numbered 7,874, or 13.5 percent of all casualties. In the event a service members remains are returned or accounted for, then a diamond symbol is engraved over the plus sign. No duplicate copies of the records that were destroyed in the fire were maintained, nor was a microfilm copy ever produced. These casualties came largely from the Northeast and North Central regions of the United States, many from the traditionally patriotic, Catholic working class neighborhoods. Authority Record - NARA, Records of the U.S. On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the NPRC destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files. What the MIT study almost certainly showed was that members of the so-called working class consisting of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, firemen, policemen, technicians, skilled factory operatives, farmers, etc., were living in middle class communities and were, therefore, part of our burgeoning middle class. Brothers Marlin and Norman Eversgerd were both killed in Vietnam. In honor of the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in the Vietnam War. http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/vietna.. All classes were drafted or volunteered and all served and died equally, although it must be noted that most blacks died separately. offer to read the block of names that includes their special names. The officer corps casualties alone would satisfy that judgment, but that is not the same as being representative. The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 2,415 casualties were incurred. Buis can be found at the top middle of a slab designated Panel 1E. Together, we can make sure our heroes will get the reverence they deserve and the stories and sacrifices of our heroes will never be forgotten. Most of these casualties are documented in the Military Index, a FamilySearch file. The west wall is on the left when standing facing the vertex, and the east wall is to the right. Their names, however, have been removed from the printed Directory of Names. The casualty date is the date the person was killed or wounded in combat or injured during an accident; for the missing, the date is when the person was reported missing. The very young were considered by many to be preferred combat material. while they download, thank you. This page was last edited on 12 December 2022, at 18:28. And, as in every American war, it is the very young who are the most willing to volunteer. The Wall USA is a non-profit endeavor maintained by veterans . It is hard to believe it is 36 years since the last casualties. The individual Draft Registration Card (SSS Form 1) may contain information such as: name, Selective Service registration number, age, date and place of birth, ethnicity, place of residence at time of registration and basic physical description. If a person died or went missing in those areas, DoD considered that individual to be a combat zone casualty and eligible for inclusion on the Wall. The directory can be purchased on the VVMF store. 8 Women are on the Wall. The Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) was given to all entering enlisted men. There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall. . Although the names are not listed alphabetically, it is not difficult for visitors to find a name on the Memorial. Today, more than 58,000 names are engraved in the wall, and more were added in May. There were 667; How many Andersons?, 178; Garcias?, 102; Murphys?, 82; Jenkins?, 66; One wants to know more about these Americans. In some instances, names needed to be shuffled in order to fit on a line. We worked very hard with volunteers from the Gold Star Mothers, recalled Doubek. In an effort to further preserve the legacy of those who sacrificed all in Vietnam, VVMF is committed to finding a photo to go with each of the more than 58,000 names on The Wall. Patricia Krause. VVMF does not have the authority to overrule those who adjudicate these matters. Others think it is just another tourist stop until they feel the haunting power of this unique work of remembrance. More names are added to the wall every year. In terms of national origin/ancestries, an extensive sampling of the data-base reveals that Americans of French Canadian, Polish, Italian and other Southern and Eastern European surnames made up about 10 percent of the Vietnam casualties. On Patrol caught up with Pete Peterson to find out how the U.S.-Vietnam relationship has progressed since the normalization of ties in 1995. A correspondingly greater tradition of military service in the other regions had its effect on U.S. regional casualties. The training for American officers is thought by most foreign military authorities to be the best in the world. Each entry includes a panel number and letter; "W" is for "west" or the left half of the memorial, "E" is for east, or the right half of the memorial. As a region, the South experienced the greatest numbers of dead, nearly 34 percent of the total, or 31.0 deaths per 100,000 of population. The mission of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is to honor and preserve the legacy of service and educate all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War. A relatively small number refused to register for the draft at all. The panels are numbered beginning from the center out toward the ends of each wall. There are students on field trips, some solemn and curious, but some just happy to get out of class. He was a Navy enlisted man during World War II and has a degree in Political Science from Duke University. The first group, added in 1983, included 53 Marines who were killed when their R&R (rest and relaxation) flight crashed in Hong Kong. All would be represented equally, with generals listed alongside infantrymen. The men and women who valiantly fought in the Vietnam War certainly deserve the title of hero. Honoring the men and women who served in the controversial Vietnam War, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial chronologically lists the names of 58,318 Americans who gave their lives in service to their country. Individual Award Case Files, 1969 - 1970. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. By providing your mobile phone number, you opt in to receive calls and texts from USO. In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act, creating the countrys first peacetime draft and officially establishing the Selective Service System. The 58,152 names of those who died in Vietnam are etched onto the two rising black marble slabs of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The directories are organized alphabetically by last name. NAID 5709942, U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency, National Archives Command Chronologies:Vietnam War, National Archives Command Chronologies: Vietnam War: Index to Reports, National Archves. Though 13 were rescued at sea, the rest died, either upon impact or soon after. These young men were trained quickly and shipped to Vietnam quickly. Order records from the National Personnel Records Center, in St. Louis at the Start your Military Service Record Request page at the National Archives website. Photo credit DOD photo. And mores the pity, because many of them were trying to escape this background and didnt make it. The Marine Corps lost 14,836, or 5 percent of its own men. I looked at the record to determine whether mortal wounds were sustained, Doubek said of the men whose names were listed by the Army, but not by DoD. And there would be nothing to denote service or rank. There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Vietnam Wall. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. Beside each name is a symbol that denotes a service members status: either missing or confirmed dead. 5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old. The list of names begins at the vertex of the walls below the date of the first casualty, 1959, and continues to the end of the east wall. site, for searching with a word processor. and have two columns per page, rather than only one column. Nursing the wounded. Each entry includes a panel number and letter; "W" is for "west" or the left half of the memorial, "E" is for east, or the right half of the memorial. in chronological order of the casualty date and then alphabetical by last Locate the line on which the name is inscribed. The makeup of U.S. combat forces in Vietnam has long been the subject of controversy among social scientists. The Reading of the Names is an in-person event where every single name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is read in order of which it appears on The Wall. On average, 43 percent of white enlisted entrants placed in categories I and II (scoring 65 to 100) and 57 percent in categories III and IV (scoring 10 to 64). The USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD). Look for discharge papers, pictures, medals,etc. The appearance of DoD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. In an audiotape recorded for a close friend shortly before Vandegeers death, and transcribed in Bernard Edelmans book Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam, he described the perilous mission in Saigon. VVMF receives numerous requests each year from individuals who wish to have particular names added to the Memorial. The first Americans to die did not perish in a foxhole or beneath stars obscured by a jungle canopy. Fallen comrades could be together on the Wall, as theyd been in death. 39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger. https://www.historynet.com/names-on-the-wall-a-closer-look-at-those-who-died-in-vietnam/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, When 21 Sikh Soldiers Fought the Odds Against 10,000 Pashtun Warriors, Few Red Tails Remain: Tuskegee Airman Dies at 96. The figures show that on average 65 percent of white enlisted men and 60 percent of black enlisted men were high school graduates. Military Reunions, Screensavers, Rubbings, Personal Guestbook for all Names. At some The Moving Wall sites, the sponsor makes arrangements The officer corps has always drawn heavily on English/Scottish/Welsh, German, Irish and Scandinavian-American ancestries from middle-class white collar homes, with other large percentages from ambitious working class blue collar and, of course, career military families. Buis was in Vietnam by his own volition. We were one giant Hollywood B-17 bomber crew, one perfect socioeconomic platoon storming Omaha Beach or Okinawa. About 58 thousand of the 7 million American service men and women who served in Vietnam died. Therefore, a complete listing of the records that were lost is not available. Items are gathered by park staff. The Vietnam Wall. As we search for proper bookends to encapsulate the story of a generation at war, perhaps the best we can do is look at what is written in stone. If you Its still fought in the bodies and minds of the men who waged it all those decades ago. We honor and remember their sacrifice.". to open, search, edit, or print the name files. Records of individuals who left service more than 62 years ago are considered Archival Records and become records of the National Archives open to the general public. If each When the sound of exploding hand grenades rang out in the hall, Buis and others ran toward the sound. In addition to WWII Draft Records, the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, MO maintains Post-WWII through Vietnam Era Selective Service Records, for all men born before 1960. The black granite walls are engraved with the names of more than 58,000 men and women who laid down their lives or remained missing. And they are so respectful when they do the engraving. Since its controversial beginnings, feelings toward the Vietnam Veterans Memorial have changed drastically. Black leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., protested, and President Johnson ordered black participation in combat units cut back. There was no need to embellish. This amounted to 4.1 percent of all enlisted casualties in Vietnam. The VC had commandeered Air America Hueys, and they were flying them around, which simply made for a very interesting chess game. 5,058) had ever known and cheered. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall USA website is dedicated to honoring those who died in the Vietnam War. If the two branches are combined, then 80 percent of the Army and Marine enlisted casualties were privates or corporals, grades E-1 to E-4. . Protestants were 64.4 percent (37,483), Catholics were 28.9 percent (16,806). Only 3 returned home. The virtual Wall of Faces features a page dedicated to honoring and remembering every person whose name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. This is the genius of Mayas design, said Scruggs. They refer to older or younger siblings who are either in or on their way to college. The vision of VVMF is to ensure a society in which all who have served and sacrificed in our nation's Armed Forces are properly honored and receive the recognition they justly deserve. All heroes are listed alphabetically by their last name. The Navy fatalities were 2,556 or 2 percent. The mission of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is to honor and preserve the legacy of service and educate all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War. United States. 31 sets of brothers are on the Wall. Honor Vietnam Veterans you know with a gift from our VVA store, or a custom military embroidered shirt, jacket, or polo so they can proudly demonstrate their service to their grateful nation. that each name was a real person. An aunt came and loaded the three boys into the car. No single persons service or sacrifice would be any greater than anyone elses. She wanted the names to tell the journey, or the timeline, of the war. During and after the Vietnam War, the Department of Defense (DoD) compiled a list of combat zone casualties according to criteria in a 1965 Presidential Executive Order. See Access to Non-Archival Records for more information. Though the memorial continues to grow and evolve, the last name on the wall still belongs to Air Force Second Lieutenant Richard Vandegeer, a pilot who died after his helicopter crashed on May 15, 1975, during the wars final combat action. Thus we can see that the channeling philosophy continued within the armed forces. I mean, it was bad.. Beginning Research in United States Military Records, National Vietnam War Veterans Day - Wikepedia, National Park Service Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics, Korean War and Vietnam War casualties listed at the National Archives, Hospital Admission Card Files, ca. readers. An Air Force member, with his back to the camera, holds the POW/MIA flag during a full honors funeral for Air Force Second Lieutenant Richard Vandegeer at Arlington National Cemetery on October 27, 2000. In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all three would be killed. At the time, approximately 1,300 names were designated as servicemen who were either missing or prisoners of war. The DOD database shows that of the 2,100,000 men and women who served in Vietnam, 58,152 were killed. On November 7, 2021 VVMF began a daily virtual Reading of the Names. Database of the 58,195 Names on The Wall in Wash,D.C. Army Center of Military History103 3rd AvenueFort Lesley J. McNair, DC 20319-5058Telephone: (202) 685-4042, NavyU.S. One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old. Of the 8000 Coast guardsmen who served in Vietnam, 3 officers and 4 enlisted men were killed and 59 were wounded. As many as 3 million people visit each year, according to some estimates, and they come for probably as many reasons. Nor did America recognize, on July 8, 1959the day he was killedthat another long and bloody war lay in wait. To put a circle around the symbol beside their names would not provide the correct historical context related to their situation. The idea that American enlisted dead were made up largely of societys poverty stricken misfits is a terrible slander to their memory and to the solid working-class and middle-class families of this country who provided the vast majority of our casualties. The ship had been taken to the island of Koh Tang. Vietnam War Casualties, MIA and POWs. Copies of WWII though Vietnam era (men born April 28, 1877 to March 28, 1957) Selective Service Records may be obtained from the National Personnel Records Center, in St. Louis, for a fee. Buis died, as did Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand, whose name is second on the wall. Congress. Hed volunteered to join a small U.S. military advisory team attached to the South Vietnamese army, and hed been in the village of Bien Hoa for only two days. columns per page. And there are the Vietnam veterans, who come to recognize the sacrifice of their fellow warriors, wondering why their own names are not there, too. We were being fired upon by anti-aircraft guns. Who were they? There are the still-grieving family members who come to pay respects as they would at a cemetery, to leave mementos and make chalk renderings of a loved ones name. Of the 7,877 officer casualties, 7,595, or 96.4 percent, were white; 147, or 1.8 percent, were black; 24, or 0.3 percent, were Asian; 7, or .08 percent, were Native American; 104, or 1.3 percent, were unidentified by race. The memorial is free and open to the public 24 hours a day, with rangers on duty to answer questions from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Those who could have qualified for college probably did not have the funds or motivation. He did it allsing, dance, create music and crack wise. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest. Naval Academy, 130; Texas A & M, 112; The Citadel, 66; Virginia Military Institute, 43; Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 26; Norwich University, 19. Others, later in the war, were simply ineligible because of high lottery number. If officers are added, then almost 70 percent of those who died were volunteers. Search the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s database of names on the wall. Non-perishable items are archived in a storage facility. This was a reflection of the role of warrant officers as helicopter pilots (of the 1,277 warrant officer casualties, 95 percent were Army helicopter pilots), and of the young lieutenants and captains as combat platoon leaders or company commanders. Army Major Dale Buis name is etched into the granite half an inch tall, no bigger or smaller than any of the others. Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons. Almost 50 percent were majors, lieutenant-colonels, colonels and three were generals. Inscribed dots in the margins of every other panel mark every 10 lines to aid in counting. Despite their inexperience, they were thought to accept discipline readily. A few years after the dedication, the issue of geographic criteria was expanded by DoD to include people who had been killed outside of the war zone while on or in support of direct combat missions. The Navy had a similar profile: 55 percent of its 622 officer casualties were 30 years of age or older, and 45 percent were ranked at lieutenant commander or above when they died. The trigger came when the recruiters pointed out that the volunteer could enlist as early as 17 (with parental consent); that he was allowed to select his branch of service; that he would receive specialized training if he qualified; that he could request a specific overseas assignment; and that his three year enlistment followed by three years in the inactive reserves satisfied his military obligation immediately. Most of the young American enlisted men who served in Vietnam were not college prospects at the time they entered the service. He would become instrumental in helping Doubek identify names and check spellings. For information regarding official military unit histories, contact: Air ForceU.S. The Buddies of Midvale LeRoy Tafoya, Jimmy Martinez, Tom Gonzales were all boyhood friends and lived on three consecutive streets in Midvale, Utah on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh avenues. True enough, but many of the surviving Vietnam casualty families would reply that the ultimate unfairness is death at an early age, in a land far from home, for reasons not clearly defined. Coast Guard Historians OfficeCommandant (CG-09224)U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters 2100 Second Street SW Washington, D.C. 20593. Much more detailed The Air Force lost the highest percentage of officers. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on November 10, 1982, with 57,939 names. The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display, Look up the name in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Channeling Memo of July 1965, instructed all local draft boards to give status deferments to college undergraduate and post-graduate students. As the Vietnam War dragged on, Kurt tried twice to enlist. In high school, he joined ROTC and kept his fathers medals pinned next to his own awards on a piece of crimson cloth. The burden of combat fell on the very available non-college-bound young. Charles Holley; chief editor, Robert J. Martin, 4th Infantry Division. It stands near Panel 1W, which holds the name of the last to die in combat. As we have pointed out earlier, more than 80 percent of our casualties were Army and Marine enlisted men with an average age of 19- to 20-years. Thats a tragic 2,415 more names on the Vietnam Wall in a single month. This video can help you find the name of someone you'd like to honor. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. The wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington is 493 feet and 6 inches long, built of thick, polished black Bangalore granite. The panel number is a number/letter combination, such as 10W or 35E. John Kennedy, discussing military assignments, said that, life is unfair. Only 5 to 10 percent of enlisted men in the combat units were estimated to have had some college, and less than 1 percent of these enlisted men were college graduates. person reads for 20 minutes, (270 names) this will require 216 volunteer name

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