Almost 50 percent were majors, lieutenant-colonels, colonels and three were generals. Its been more than 20 years since Forrest Gump debuted on the silver screen and nearly a generation later, its characters still resonate with todays service members. In order to have your name on the Wall, you had to have died within the war zone, explained Doubek. Blacks were 85 percent Protestant. Getting to Washington, D.C. We honor and remember their sacrifice.". A more precise equation would be that the college bound stayed home while the non-college bound served and died. 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. The Vietnam Wall at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park features the names of local fallen soldiers. The National Archives has an online searchable database, entitled "Records on Military Personnel Who Died, Were Missing in Action or Prisoners of War as a Result of the Vietnam War," documenting the period 6/8/1956 - 1/21/1998. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept. 7, 1965. Her name? And they all went to Vietnam. The panels come together to form a point, linking the first and last together in enduring tribute. Individual Award Case Files, 1969 - 1970. The names of those who gave their lives and of those who remain missing are inscribed in the order they were taken from us. In the event a service members remains are returned or accounted for, then a diamond symbol is engraved over the plus sign. Senate. Adding to the problem was Project 100,000. On the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in Washington, D.C., a special plaque reads: "In Memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. 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. Database of the 58,195 Names on The Wall in Wash,D.C. Interested in a tour as part of your visit? This page has been viewed 167,336 times (0 via redirect). A correspondingly greater tradition of military service in the other regions had its effect on U.S. regional casualties. but will allow you to download it after you specify a file name. There is no question that all segments of American society were represented. 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. Note the panel and line number for the name listed. Note that the files are large, and are in Rich Text Format (RTF), with two As one stands before the Wall one feels that no other judgment is acceptable to their living memory. It is more notable, perhaps, only because his was the first name engraved into The Wall. The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. For families who have worked to have their loved ones name added, the journey can be long and exhausting. Army Major Dale Buis name is etched into the granite half an inch tall, no bigger or smaller than any of the others. This memorial was built with private contributions from the American people. 31 sets of brothers are on the Wall. No single persons service or sacrifice would be any greater than anyone elses. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. Inscription at the beginning of The Wall. However, there have been no such cases. This can be in the form of a book, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Directory of Names, or one of the various databases. With few exceptions, almost all of the 6,600 commissioned officers who died in Vietnam were graduates of the service academies, college Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), or the Officer Candidate School (OCS) programs. Doubek contacted the National Personnel Records Center, Archives and Records Service, in St. Louis, Mo. is complete, or you've done a "save as", you can use any word processor The directory can be purchased on the VVMF store. Its still fought in the bodies and minds of the men who waged it all those decades ago. It may come as a surprise to some that 63.3 percent of all Vietnam enlisted casualties were not draftees but volunteers. There were 667; How many Andersons?, 178; Garcias?, 102; Murphys?, 82; Jenkins?, 66; One wants to know more about these Americans. In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all three would be killed. As Vietnam War Veterans Day nears March 29, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation's Wall of Faces is nearly complete but needs help from the public to track down the last few dozen photos. Non-perishable items are archived in a storage facility. At the time, approximately 1,300 names were designated as servicemen who were either missing or prisoners of war. Many of the 17- and 18-year olds were simply late in maturing. For information regarding official military unit histories, contact: Air ForceU.S. A.. B.. C.. D.. E.. F.. G.. H.. Military Reunions, Screensavers, Rubbings, Personal Guestbook for all Names. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. All heroes are listed alphabetically by their last name. Fill out the tour request form. 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. The Channeling Memo of July 1965, instructed all local draft boards to give status deferments to college undergraduate and post-graduate students. compiled by Military Records and Research Library, Department of Military Affairs; edited by Julia D. Rather and Jeffrey Michael Duff, Research Our Records. 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. In this study we will refer to casualties as the 58,152 who died in Vietnam, but it should be emphasized that there were 153,303 who were wounded seriously enough to be hospitalized. prepared by Frances A. Hortsch for the Phoenix Genealogical Society. See Access to Non-Archival Records for more information. The Army as a branch had 134,982 killed or wounded (9.5 percent), but the Marines suffered 66,227 killed or wounded (22.5 percent) or almost one of every four Marines who served. A diamond symbol signifies that the service members death was confirmed. The popularity of the GI Bill after Vietnam emphasized this yearning. The names would become the memorial. They were struggling through or dropping out of high school, or if a high school graduate, had tested poorly for college entrance. 1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam. Only 10 percent of enlisted men had even some college to their credit and only 1 percent were college graduates. And they often show a heartbreakingly wry sense of humor with the same sensibilities as their college-bound peers. . This change prompted the addition of 110 names in 1986. Some common names appear on the Memorial more than once. Once additions are approved by DoD, VVMF receives the list of approved names, coordinates the inscribing and absorbs the costs. Unfortunately, the Department of Defense and the individual service branches maintained separate casualty lists with slightly differing criteria. He tried to make the best call he could when adding names to the list. Photo credit DOD photo. The names are listed chronologically by date of death, the first to last. The burden of combat fell on the very available non-college-bound young. 8 Women are on the Wall. It was fitting that Vandegeer finally returned home to American soil, because he spent his last weeks at war evacuating Americans as Saigon fell. Except for the last file, there are approximately 10,000 names per file. U.S. Army Personnel and Dependent Casualties, 1961-1981 85% of the records in this database are related to the Vietnam Conflict. . The essence of the Wall is the names and the reaction of the visitor to seeing his or her reflection in this sea of remembrance. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 The Wall is about names. This number of deaths per 100,000 compared strikingly with the 23.5 in the Northeast region, 29.9 in the West and 28.4 in the North Central (Midwest) region. This is the genius of Mayas design, said Scruggs. Order it can be difficult but there are a few ways to find a name at either end of the memorial are stands with books inside these list the names in alphabetical. As Vandegeer piloted his CH-53 helicopter toward the island, a wall of anti-aircraft fire knocked it from the sky, and it crashed toward the water with 26 men aboard. In 2004, the total is 58,241 names. Therefore, a complete listing of the records that were lost is not available. The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. ".for those who have died." But there is a beginning. The west wall is on the left when standing facing the vertex, and the east wall is to the right. The DOD database shows that of the 2,100,000 men and women who served in Vietnam, 58,152 were killed. 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. A new Department of Defense (DOD) database computer tape released through the National Archives allows researchers to take a much closer look at our 58,152 Vietnam casualties. With this list in hand, he went to the various locations where individual service records were kept to review files. Much more detailed Text STOP to opt out, HELP for help. 1972, United States, National Archives, Military Records, 1885-2004, United States, National Archives, Korean War and Vietnam War Records, Start your Military Service Record Request, National Archives at St. Louis, Selective Service Records. Only 3 returned home. The first known casualty was Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth, MA; he was listed by theDepartment of Defense as having been killed on June 8, 1956. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest. 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. 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. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for all who wish to visit. An aunt came and loaded the three boys into the car. The Army lost the greatest number of officers 4,635 or 59 percent of all officer casualties. Of the 7,262 blacks who died, 6,955, or 96 percent, were Army and Marine enlisted men. These files are lists of the names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, listed in chronological order of the casualty date and then alphabetical by last name within a given date. This page was last edited on 12 December 2022, at 18:28. Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons. Though blessed with talent, his life wasnt without struggles. 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. Some went to Canada or Sweden, but few of those who evaded the draft were actually prosecuted and most were eventually pardoned by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. You could also keep these files on a computer at your Marine Corps History Division2044 Broadway StreetQuantico, Virginia 22134Telephone: (703) 432-4877, Coast GuardU.S. Those who could have qualified for college probably did not have the funds or motivation. All of this was one of the great and abiding agonies of the Vietnam War, causing repercussions within families and on the national political scene to this day. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. . Chiseled on the wall are the names of the 58,196 men and women who either died or are still listed as missing in Southeast Asia between 1959 and 1975. . Locate the line on which the name is inscribed. Most of the young American enlisted men who served in Vietnam were not college prospects at the time they entered the service. Although valuable, this study was almost certainly misinterpreted by its authors when they said that their data showed that most privileged and influential segments of American society were not insulated from the perils of Vietnam conflict. 39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger. Lower end category IVs consisting of those who scored below 20 on the AFQT were usually rejected for service. Army and Marine officer casualties were also quite young. The result: no comprehensive master list of Vietnam War casualties existed. There are students on field trips, some solemn and curious, but some just happy to get out of class. The National Park Service offers these steps for locating a name: National Park Service rangers and volunteers are available to assist in locating names at the Memorial. I went through the whole list of names eight times, because I was concerned about the correct formatting, remembered Doubek. W denotes the west wall, and E denotes the east wall. On the west wall, the symbol precedes the name; on the east wall, the symbol follows the name. National Mall and Memorial Parks , Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. As a result, it was mainly the families of Navy and Air Force pilots and crewmen who suffered the great agony of the POW (prisoner of war) and MIA (missing in action) experience that came out of the Vietnam War. Yet, a civilian heroine who served in a different capacity during that difficult time also merits particular acknowledgment. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, "'The Vietnam War' Sponsor Bank of America Teams With The Lumineers to Support the USO ", Programs for Service Members and Their Families. On November 7, 2021 VVMF began a daily virtual Reading of the Names. 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. Kurt became the man of the house, even as a boy. 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. Look for clues about where he or she lived and served. 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. What happens to items left at the memorial? Kurt Buis was 8 years old the day his father died. columns per page.
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