to open, search, edit, or print the name files. The last 18 names listed on the bottom of Panel 1, West, also at the apex, are from May 15, 1975. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands as a symbol of America's honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War. 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. Perhaps more important, many of them probably did not yet fully understand their own mortality and were therefore less likely to be hesitant in combat. It is located north of the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. along Constitution Avenue NW between 21st and 23rd streets. Patricia Krause. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept. 7, 1965. The Marines of Morenciled some of thebest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop. There are 58,267 names now listed on Vietnam Wall, including those added in 2010. Be the first to learn about news, service member stories and fundraising updates from USO. The Reading of the Names - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010: see the "National Cemeteries and Beneficiaries" section below. 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. You must refer to a database, which gives the names in alphabetical order and includes the position of each on the Memorial. Message & data rates may apply. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The panels are numbered beginning from the center out toward the ends of each wall. If the demographic is expanded to 17- to 21- years, then we find there were 83 percent of Marine enlisted casualties, and 65 percent of Army enlisted casualties. Is there a list of names on the vietnam wall? - vietnam - 2023 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. Vietnam Veterans Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) If officers are added, then almost 70 percent of those who died were volunteers. From 1964 to 1973, 2,100,000 men and women served in Vietnam, but this was only 8 percent of the 26,000,000 Americans who were eligible for military service. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. The First and the Last Names on The Wall - United Service Organizations name within a given date. Dear Mr. Huddleston, Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! The Vietnam War was no different. The figures show that on average 65 percent of white enlisted men and 60 percent of black enlisted men were high school graduates. The index gives birth and death dates, country of death, cause of death (air, ground, or sea), town and state of residence at time of enlistment, race, religious affiliation, marital status, service number, rank, and branch of service. Kurt Buis was 8 years old the day his father died. As a result, the software improperly truncated or abbreviated names. If a service member were to return alive, a circlethe symbol of lifewould be inscribed around the plus sign. The names of those who gave their lives and of those who remain missing are inscribed in the order they were taken from us. Full casualty records may be retrieved online through the National Archives' Access to Archival Databases resource. Please say a prayer for our fallen heroes, their family members, and our hero Vietnam War Veterans during your visit. However, if officer casualties are added to the total, then this overrepresentation is reduced to 12.5 percent of all casualties. What will be the evolving historical judgment for those names on the Wall? 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. Since then, 379 names have been added, for a total of 58,318 (as of Memorial Day 2017). 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. Nor did America recognize, on July 8, 1959the day he was killedthat another long and bloody war lay in wait. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on November 10, 1982, with 57,939 names. Much more detailed Despite their inexperience, they were thought to accept discipline readily. The numbers on the wall ascend from the center out toward the left and right extremes. 31 sets of brothers are on the Wall. Except for the last file, there are approximately 10,000 names per file. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis maintains Vietnam War Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF). It should be noted, however, that the draft was specifically designed to trigger volunteer enlistments. For a photograph of an inscription of a close friend or relative, write: This website requires a paid subscription for full access. These directories help locate names on the wall. There was no need to embellish. . Along with its wave of death, it scarred many people, especially those closest to the men that died fighting the . ".for those who have died." Interesting Veterans Statistics Of The Vietnam Memorial Wall There are 58,267 names now listed on that polished black wall, including those added in 2010. 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. During one review, Doubek found a glitch with the computer software: it did not recognize the spaces that appeared within a last name, such as van der Meide. Nor could it properly discern a compounded first name, such as Billy Bob, versus a traditional first and middle name. Blacks were 85 percent Protestant. And there is an end. By providing your mobile phone number, you opt in to receive calls and texts from USO. Since its controversial beginnings, feelings toward the Vietnam Veterans Memorial have changed drastically. And mores the pity, because many of them were trying to escape this background and didnt make it. As Maya Ling Lin, the architect of the Wall, has said: It was as if the black-brown earth were polished and made into an interface between the sunny world and the quiet dark world beyond that we cannot enter. The Army suffered the most total casualties, 38,179 or 2.7 percent of its force. How many women soldiers died in the Vietnam War? This page has been viewed 167,336 times (0 via redirect). U.S. Army Personnel and Dependent Casualties, 1961-1981 85% of the records in this database are related to the Vietnam Conflict. There are the tourists who make the circuit of all the various monuments and landmarks in our nations capital. Protestants were 64.4 percent (37,483), Catholics were 28.9 percent (16,806). Look at the bottom of each panel on the wall for its number. 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. peruse. Fallen comrades could be together on the Wall, as theyd been in death. Maya Lin - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund No other American war has presented such a young profile in combat. If each While their names are not on The Wall, they are never forgotten. 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. On the other end of that phone call was an former Air Force officer who had served in Vietnam. 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. http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/vietna.. United States Vietnam War 1964 to 1972 FamilySearch Seeking Names of Marines killed in Vietnam in D | History Hub With the end of the Cold War, many now believe that at its outset the Vietnam War was a quite honorable extension of our ultimately successful policy of Communist containment; that our effort in Vietnam became flawed because of political and strategic failures having nothing to do with those who died there; and that these young Americans were asked by three presidents and six Congresses to give up their lives so that freedom would have a better chance in the world. is complete, or you've done a "save as", you can use any word processor 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. Of course, the Marine, Navy, and Air Force enlisted casualties were all volunteers, but as it turned out, almost 50 percent of Army enlisted casualties were also volunteers. The names are inscribed in the chronological order of their dates of casualty, showing the war as a series of individual human sacrifices and giving each name a special place in history. I respect the process, but it can be hard to prove something thats in your heart., Thats what makes it so special when you see the name going up, she added. This was long before the advent of integrated computer databases. In high school, he joined ROTC and kept his fathers medals pinned next to his own awards on a piece of crimson cloth. . Joe Moore's VN Memorial Wall Start Page - cantho-rvn.org Of 2,590 total Air Force casualties, 1,674 or 65 percent were officers. VVMF receives numerous requests each year from individuals who wish to have particular names added to the Memorial. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. Digital History 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. Senate. Physical examination and test results, medical letters, laboratory work and other medical documentation that may have been included in these files no longer exist. Text STOP to opt out, HELP for help. If the veteran is still alive, ask his or her help finding records. Their sons, if not college material, made up a significant part of the volunteers and draftees. The USO relies on your support to help service members and their families. At some The Moving Wall sites, the sponsor makes arrangements W denotes the west wall, and E denotes the east wall. Charles Holley; chief editor, Robert J. Martin, 4th Infantry Division. You could also keep these files on a computer at your Chronological order by date of casualty allows friends and family members to pick out their loved one from all of the others with the same name. Once download The Army lost the greatest number of officers 4,635 or 59 percent of all officer casualties. Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons. For weeks and weeks, a team worked through the list, verifying spellings and ensuring that the computer printout that was to be used for the stenciling was correct. Look for discharge papers, pictures, medals,etc. 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. There were 667; How many Andersons?, 178; Garcias?, 102; Murphys?, 82; Jenkins?, 66; One wants to know more about these Americans. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands as a symbol of America's honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War. Others, later in the war, were simply ineligible because of high lottery number. The names are listed in chronological order, according to the date of casualty. The directories are organized alphabetically by last name. Wall Information - The Wall USA The remaining 70 percent of our Vietnam enlisted casualties were of English/Scottish/Welsh, German, Irish and Scandinavian-American ancestries, more from the South and Midwest than the other regions, many from small towns with a family military tradition. This index includes those who died or who were declared dead from 1950 to 1957 in Korea and from 1957 to 1975 in Southeast Asia. that each name was a real person. Compounding these difficulties was the issue that many casualties, particularly from the Air Force, were not always straightforward in terms of locale. In the event a service members remains are returned or accounted for, then a diamond symbol is engraved over the plus sign. 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. 997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam. NAVY AND AIR FORCE OFFICER CASUALTIES BY RANK AND AGE. These names are followed by the inscription: Our nation honors the courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty and country of its Vietnam veterans. Ziomek's name was finally inscribed on the Washington memorial on Sept. 15, 2020; he was one of just three veterans added in 2020. But you had stories of guys in the Air Force who would die in their aircraft over Thailand after having been shot over Vietnam. Technically, they were ineligible for inclusion on the Wall. Each name is listed with great honor and respect. Scholars debate about when the war really began and in many ways it has never ended. This came at a time when blacks made up 11 percent of the male population nationwide. This year, 14 names were etched into the wall. (Surprisingly, as it turned out, the percentage of Vietnam veterans who applied for the GI Bill was higher than either World War II or Korea. It is hard to believe it has been 36 years since the last casualties. The Vietnam Wall. They drew on every segment of American society. They were at their peak physically. The men and women who valiantly fought in the Vietnam War certainly deserve the title of hero. A(1780 names - 239023 bytes) B(5502 names - 737972 bytes) C(4363 names - 586584 bytes) D(2790 names - 374290 bytes) E(1082 names - 144866 bytes) F(1979 names - 265759 bytes) G(3036 names - 407075 bytes) H(4463 names - 598834 bytes) I(218 names - 29278 bytes) J(1845 names - 247563 bytes) K(2039 names - 273818 bytes) L(2594 names - 347007 bytes) 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. No duplicate copies of the records that were destroyed in the fire were maintained, nor was a microfilm copy ever produced. In a massive sampling of the database, it was established that between 5 and 6 percent of Vietnam dead had identifiable Hispanic surnames. They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field. The Army refused him, for medical reasons, both times. Naval Academy, 130; Texas A & M, 112; The Citadel, 66; Virginia Military Institute, 43; Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 26; Norwich University, 19. 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. A diamond symbol signifies that the service members death was confirmed. "Walking through this park-like area, the memorial appears as a rift in the earth, a long, polished, black stone wall, emerging from and receding into the earth. With this list in hand, he went to the various locations where individual service records were kept to review files. 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. The VC had commandeered Air America Hueys, and they were flying them around, which simply made for a very interesting chess game. The Order of Precedence For Military Ribbon Wear, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pubH-5CulqI, Military Funeral Guide for Families & Funeral Homes, The Ultimate Military Gift Guide for Unique Military Gifts, Black Military History and Black Medal of Honor Recipients. The beginnings and endings are often hazy and the facts of the story lie at the mercy of the teller. 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. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall USA website is dedicated to honoring those who died in the Vietnam War. Since the days of Alexander the Great and the Roman Legions, it has always been the young, inexperienced, low-ranking enlisted man who has taken the brunt of combat casualties. His name does not appear at either far end. This makeup, they say, was the very antithesis of what we stand for as a democracy a shameful corruption of our values and our historical sense of fairness and social justice. The Vietnam Wall at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park features the names of local fallen soldiers. The shining surface is intended to reflect the sun, the ground and those who stand before it. Names can also be located on The Wall of Faces on VVMFs web site, www.vvmf.org/wall-of-faces, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger. Frequently Asked Questions - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund The combination of the selective service policies with the skills and aptitude testing of both volunteers and draftees (in which blacks scored noticeably lower) conspired to assign blacks in greater numbers to the combat units of the Army and Marine Corps. 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. Look for clues about where he or she lived and served. It was fitting that Vandegeer finally returned home to American soil, because he spent his last weeks at war evacuating Americans as Saigon fell. Officer casualties in Vietnam, including warrant officers, numbered 7,874, or 13.5 percent of all casualties. This approach would allow veterans, friends and family members to find a loved one by his or her date of casualty. Online Vietnam War Indexes & Records - Military Indexes It is forgotten now, but in the beginning Congress and most of the American people were behind our containment effort in Vietnam. He did it allsing, dance, create music and crack wise. The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. John Kennedy, discussing military assignments, said that, life is unfair. Bennett on March 25, 1968 and Dennis on August 02, 1970 Brothers Gabriel and Paul Trujillo were both killed in Vietnam. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. effort, but is a very effective means to express the enormity of the war and The directories are organized alphabetically by last name. Doubek was tasked with identifying all of the names to be included on the Wall. Written requests should be mailed to: National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100. This is close to, but not exactly in the same order as the names on the Wall. but will allow you to download it after you specify a file name. November 11, 1982. And they often show a heartbreakingly wry sense of humor with the same sensibilities as their college-bound peers. An aunt came and loaded the three boys into the car. 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. Twenty years passed before Vandegeers remains were identified and another five passed before his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. Marine Corps History Division2044 Broadway StreetQuantico, Virginia 22134Telephone: (703) 432-4877, Coast GuardU.S. Every one of the names on the Wall has a story worth telling, as do all who served in our nation's Armed Forces during that time. Authority Record - NARA, Records of the U.S. The DOD database provides no civilian or military educational levels for the Vietnam casualties specifically, but it does give us general levels for all enlisted men across all the services during the Vietnam era. Additionally, many of the names on the wall were other teenagers from the suburban white collar communities with siblings who were in, or would go on to college, but who, as individuals themselves, were slow to mature, struggled through high school and were therefore very available for the Vietnam War. Names that become eligible for inclusion are added once each year, in May, a few weeks before Memorial Day. Frequently relatives or buddies of casualties Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons. The Classification History (SSS Form 102) may contain: name; date of birth; classification and date of mailing notice; date of appeal to the board; date and results of armed forces physical examination; entry into active duty or civilian work in lieu of induction (may include date, branch of service entered and mode of entry, such as enlisted or ordered); date of separation from active duty or civilian work; and general remarks. Items are gathered by park staff. In addition, millions of documents had been lent to the Department of Veterans Affairs before the fire occurred. Postscript: Since 1982, there have been 89 names added to The Wall. For men who registered for the draft prior to 1976, the only Selective Service System information available is that of the individual Draft Registration Card (SSS Form 1) and Classification History (SSS Form 102) records. Thus, there were 211,455 killed and wounded, or one in every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam. The makeup of U.S. combat forces in Vietnam has long been the subject of controversy among social scientists. This can help veterans or relatives find other persons who died with HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. The Air Force lost the highest percentage of officers. More than 200 names have been added to the Wall It is not surprising, for instance, that West Virginia, Montana, and Oklahoma had a casualty rate almost twice that of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. As one walks the Wall slowly, examining the ineffably American names, one is struck by the same recurring surnames. in chronological order of the casualty date and then alphabetical by last The directory can be purchased on the VVMF store. However, in 1980, President James E. Carter resumed Selective Service registration in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. the requirements were expanded (by. The names are listed chronologically by date of death, the first to last. The lists are based on the "home of record - state" data provided by the serviceman or woman upon last entrance into military service. The civilian and military men who formed the policy did not see it necessarily as a disadvantage. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. The young enlisted volunteer or draftee had not had much time to form any complicated theories about our Vietnam commitment. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. Search the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s database of names on the wall. They lived only a few yards apart. Almost 50 percent were majors, lieutenant-colonels, colonels and three were generals. With the glitch discovered, Doubek and his team located and hand-corrected each error. We were one giant Hollywood B-17 bomber crew, one perfect socioeconomic platoon storming Omaha Beach or Okinawa. Vietnam War Casualties, MIA and POWs. Less than 1 percent (0.8) were Jewish, Hindu, Thai, Buddhist or Muslim combined, and 5.7 listed no religion. In honor of the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in the Vietnam War. Note the panel and line number for the name listed. Many others joined the reserves or National Guard, which were not mobilized in any appreciable numbers during the war. 5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old. Quite a different profile emerges among the Navy and Air force officer corps. The 1970 census which is being used as our Vietnam era population base did not list an Hispanic count but gave an estimate of 4.5 percent of the American population. Only the Navy, with 50 percent of its enlisted casualties over 21, and the Air Force, with 75 percent over 21, showed an older, more experienced age demographic. The first Americans to die did not perish in a foxhole or beneath stars obscured by a jungle canopy. 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. 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. Locate the line on which the name is inscribed. Adding to the problem was Project 100,000. This amounted to 4.1 percent of all enlisted casualties in Vietnam. Making these arrangements and printing the pages takes considerable The Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) was given to all entering enlisted men. Once a master list was compiled, the names were checked manually for errors. The vast majority of Americans who were eligible by age but did not serve in the armed forces were exempted by reason of physical, mental, psychiatric, or moral failure; or they were given status deferments because they were college students, fathers, clergy, teachers, engineers or conscientious objectors. The Navy fatalities were 2,556 or 2 percent. Vietnam Memorial.com - Vietnam Memorial List of Heroes - Vietnam The Selective Service System remains in place today. This is the genius of Mayas design, said Scruggs. 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. They often reveal a typically warm American family atmosphere. Proving a direct correlation to the injuries is a challenge, Pontes explained. 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 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. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. has the names listed in chronological order by date of loss. One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old. Their sacrifices were honored July 8, 2009, in Washington during a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of their deaths. These casualties came largely from the Northeast and North Central regions of the United States, many from the traditionally patriotic, Catholic working class neighborhoods. . For families who have worked to have their loved ones name added, the journey can be long and exhausting. 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. Vietnam War: in Country, Notice: Scanning of Vietnam-era Deck Logs, Vietnam War, 1961-1975. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study released in 1992, found that our Vietnam casualties were only marginally greater from the economically lowest 50 percent of our communities (31 deaths per 100,000 of population), when compared with the economically highest 50 percent (26 deaths per 100,000 population).
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