Please say a prayer for our fallen heroes, their family members, and our hero Vietnam War Veterans during your visit. These officer casualties came more from the South and West regions, 4.1 deaths per 100,000, in contrast to 3.5 from the Northeast and Midwest regions. There are 58,267 names now listed on Vietnam Wall, including those added in 2010. If the veteran is still alive, ask his or her help finding records. Most of these casualties are documented in the Military Index, a FamilySearch file. While VVMF finances the name additions to the Wall, it is the Department of Defense that makes these difficult and often technical decisions. They also died quickly, many within a few weeks or months of arriving in Vietnam. There are students on field trips, some solemn and curious, but some just happy to get out of class. 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. When the Wall was dedicated in 1982, there were 57,939 names inscribed. Library of Congress, National Archives Reference Information Page 90 A Finding Aid to Records Relating to American Prisoners of War and Missing in Action from the Vietnam War Era, 1960-1994, Records on Military Personnel Who Died, Were Missing in Action or Prisoners of War as a Result of the Vietnam War, Missing Vietnam Military Resulting from Hostile Forces, Missing Vietnam Military NOT Resulting from Hostile Forces, Vietnam War, Awards and Decorations of Honor, 1965-1972, Medal of Honor Awards Case Files, 1965 - ca. It is forgotten now, but in the beginning Congress and most of the American people were behind our containment effort in Vietnam. Twenty-five years later, in an interview with People magazine, he described playing with his two younger brothers as the news reached their home in Imperial Beach, California. Their names, however, have been removed from the printed Directory of Names. Instead its nearly in the center. They came largely from California and Texas, with lesser numbers from Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Florida, New York and a few from many other states across the country. If each Fully 50 percent were in the 17- to 24-year age group, and astonishingly, there were 764 Army officer casualties who were 21 or younger. The panels are numbered beginning from the center out toward the ends of each wall. Brothers Marlin and Norman Eversgerd were both killed in Vietnam. This came at a time when blacks made up 11 percent of the male population nationwide. 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. The VC had commandeered Air America Hueys, and they were flying them around, which simply made for a very interesting chess game. Less than 1 percent (0.8) were Jewish, Hindu, Thai, Buddhist or Muslim combined, and 5.7 listed no religion. How many Smiths can there possibly be who died in Vietnam? 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. Every day at 3:00 p.m. EST, VVMF will play a daily reading of all the individuals who died upon that day in alphabetical order. 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. Although the names are not listed alphabetically, it is not difficult for visitors to find a name on the Memorial. 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. 5th Marines were killed in . Kurt became the man of the house, even as a boy. One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old. The chronological order allows veterans who were in a battle to see their friends forever united on the Wall, he explained. 3rd Battalion. ), EDUCATIONAL LEVELS OF ENLISTED CASUALTIES. Concerning, How do I find a name on the Vietnam War Memorial wall? 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. 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. 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 was dedicated on November 10, 1982, with 57,939 names. In high school, he joined ROTC and kept his fathers medals pinned next to his own awards on a piece of crimson cloth. The DOD database shows that of the 2,100,000 men and women who served in Vietnam, 58,152 were killed. As they came through the door, Viet Cong guerrillas opened fire with machine guns. 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. 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. For those and a handful of other unique circumstances, Doubek made his own list of men who had died due to the injuries in the combat zonesnames that may have been listed by an individual service branch, but not by DoD. Many high-ranking military men (including General William C. Westmoreland, the U.S. commander in Vietnam) opposed the program, feeling that the effectiveness of some units would be reduced and that fellow soldiers would sometimes be put in greater jeopardy by these less mentally capable personnel. 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. What will be the evolving historical judgment for those names on the Wall? 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. . If a service member were to return alive, a circlethe symbol of lifewould be inscribed around the plus sign. Please be patient There are officially 58,228 names on the Wall, but the database these files were derived . Sad to say, many of these recruitment promises were fudged in one way or another, and many of these young men found themselves shipped directly to Vietnam after basic training. Lins vision prevailed. The Wall of Faces allows family and friends to share memories, post pictures and connect with each other. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a symbol of American honor and appreciation for the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives during the Vietnam War. About 58 thousand of the 7 million American service men and women who served in Vietnam died. This amounted to 4.1 percent of all enlisted casualties in Vietnam. However, there have been no such cases. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. Many of them, as experienced pilots, were older (two thirds were thirty or older) and many were high ranking. prepared by Frances A. Hortsch for the Phoenix Genealogical Society. Locate the line on which the name is inscribed. In honor of the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in the Vietnam War. It was fitting that Vandegeer finally returned home to American soil, because he spent his last weeks at war evacuating Americans as Saigon fell. 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. Forces in Southeast Asia, 1950 - 1976 NAID 745, RG, 472, Meritorious Unit Commendations, 1967 - 1971 NAID 4726287, Medal of Honor Awards Case Files, 1965 - ca. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Vietnam Magazine today! Black leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., protested, and President Johnson ordered black participation in combat units cut back. Beginning Research in United States Military Records, National Vietnam War Veterans Day - Wikepedia, National Park Service Vietnam Veterans Memorial. His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. NAVY AND AIR FORCE OFFICER CASUALTIES BY RANK AND AGE. Lower end category IVs consisting of those who scored below 20 on the AFQT were usually rejected for service. If a name was particularly long, it would be swapped with a shorter name. 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). November 11, 1982. Protestants were 64.4 percent (37,483), Catholics were 28.9 percent (16,806). 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. 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. As the Vietnam War dragged on, Kurt tried twice to enlist. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. This is close to, but not exactly in the same order as the names on the Wall. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. 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. There is some truth to this, but it is instructive to look at what the DOD database reveals in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, religious preference and casualties by U.S. geographic areas. He would become instrumental in helping Doubek identify names and check spellings. 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. 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. 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. ".for those who have died." 1970 - ca. 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) In a massive sampling of the database, it was established that between 5 and 6 percent of Vietnam dead had identifiable Hispanic surnames. 26 Similar Questions (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. do this, be sure to have an alternate reader assigned to take over in case The names would become the memorial. 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. 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. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. has the names listed in chronological order by date of loss. 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. 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. These casualties came largely from the Northeast and North Central regions of the United States, many from the traditionally patriotic, Catholic working class neighborhoods. Ziomek's name was finally inscribed on the Washington memorial on Sept. 15, 2020; he was one of just three veterans added in 2020. 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. Database of the 58,195 Names on The Wall in Wash,D.C. In order to have your name on the Wall, you had to have died within the war zone, explained Doubek. The Air Force lost 2,580 or l percent. Coast Guard Historians OfficeCommandant (CG-09224)U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters 2100 Second Street SW Washington, D.C. 20593. in chronological order of the casualty date and then alphabetical by last The war is complete, coming full circle, yet broken by the earth that bounds the angles open side and contained within the earth itself. Most of the young American enlisted men who served in Vietnam were not college prospects at the time they entered the 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. 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. Millions more come to experience this Memorial each year. 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. There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Vietnam Wall. 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. The draft continued from 1948, during both peacetime and war, to 1973, when President Richard M. Nixon signed legislation officially ending the draft. The DOD percentages reveal that nearly 75 percent of Army enlisted casualties were privates or corporals. 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. Those designated by a plus sign were considered to be missing in action when the war ended. Non-perishable items are archived in a storage facility. Interested in a tour as part of your visit? The names of the 2,504 Americans missing in action from the Vietnam War are on the Tablets of the Missing at the ABMC Honolulu Memorial. It specified the geographic areas of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and surrounding coastal areas as combat zones. At the time, approximately 1,300 names were designated as servicemen who were either missing or prisoners of war. All would be represented equally, with generals listed alongside infantrymen. 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. Thus, there were 211,455 killed and wounded, or one in every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam. Another challenge was ensuring the accuracy of the names. THE NAMES ON THE WALL: AN HISTORICAL JUDGMENT. Click to learn about the In Memory program . Vandegeers message also depicted a man who believed the worst was behind him. While their names are not on The Wall, they are never forgotten. Those who could have qualified for college probably did not have the funds or motivation. Access to Non-Archival Military Service Records is limited. The names are listed in chronological order, according to the date of casualty. For information regarding official military unit histories, contact: Air ForceU.S. Jimmy died less than 24 hours later on Thanksgiving Day. Along with its wave of death, it scarred many people, especially those closest to the men that died fighting the . It stands near Panel 1W, which holds the name of the last to die in combat. Gather facts from sources at home,and talk to relatives. You could also keep these files on a computer at your Dear Mr. Huddleston, Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! 39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger. 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. Twenty years passed before Vandegeers remains were identified and another five passed before his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. You may print these files and have the pages available for visitors to The names of those who gave their lives and of those who remain missing are inscribed in the order they were taken from us. 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. . 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. "The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's registry enables veterans across the world to be able to locate fellow Vietnam Veterans and of course, connect their stories with those who made the ultimate sacrifice. 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. The names of Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand and Major Dale Buis are inscribed on Panel 1E of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. Doubek was tasked with identifying all of the names to be included on the Wall. 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. And, as in every American war, it is the very young who are the most willing to volunteer. However, in 1980, President James E. Carter resumed Selective Service registration in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Thus it is safe to say that Hispanic-Americans were over-represented among Vietnam casualties an estimated 5.5 percent of the dead against 4.5 percent of the 1970 population. Congress and the Johnson administration, therefore, sought to protect our college-bound and educated young men. The USO relies on your support to help service members and their families. The figures show that on average 65 percent of white enlisted men and 60 percent of black enlisted men were high school graduates. Army Major Dale Buis' name is etched into the granite half an inch tall, no bigger or smaller than any of the others. It may come as a surprise to some that 63.3 percent of all Vietnam enlisted casualties were not draftees but volunteers. Inscription at the beginning of The Wall. It gives the names in alphabetical order and . Buis was in Vietnam by his own volition. I can envision a small cottage someplace, with a lot of writing paper, and a dog, and a fireplace, and maybe enough money to give myself some Irish coffee now and then and entertain my two friends , I dont think it will be too terribly long until we are together again.. With the glitch discovered, Doubek and his team located and hand-corrected each error. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall USA website is dedicated to honoring those who died in the Vietnam War. 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. offer to read the block of names that includes their special names. As she wisely predicted, this would help bring the veterans back in timeand a cathartic healing would occur for many by facing this loss again.. Though blessed with talent, his life wasnt without struggles. Vietnam War Casualties- Main Alphabetical Index www.VirtualWall.org Find A Name Information Memorial pages honoring Vietnam War casualties, listed by their last names. Names that become eligible for inclusion are added once each year, in May, a few weeks before Memorial Day. Of 2,590 total Air Force casualties, 1,674 or 65 percent were officers. Marine Corps History Division2044 Broadway StreetQuantico, Virginia 22134Telephone: (703) 432-4877, Coast GuardU.S. 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. The memorial consists of three separate parts: The Three Soldiers statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, also known as The Wall That Heals, which is the most popular feature. 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 major service academies and other military colleges provided close to 900 of the Vietnam officer casualties: the U.S. Military Academy, 278; the U.S. Air Force Academy, 205; the U.S. 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 young enlisted volunteer or draftee had not had much time to form any complicated theories about our Vietnam commitment. He admitted no particular feelings about the righteousness of the war, and allowed himself to look ahead into a future free of war and obligation. 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. Many others joined the reserves or National Guard, which were not mobilized in any appreciable numbers during the war. This is the genius of Mayas design, said Scruggs. 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. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 Today, more than 58,000 names are engraved in the wall, and more were added in May. 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. They refer to older or younger siblings who are either in or on their way to college. 244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall. The event begins on November 7, 2022 at 3 p.m. EST and ends at midnight on November 10, 2022. 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. Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis maintains Vietnam War Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF). He did it allsing, dance, create music and crack wise. The article was written by Bill Abbott, an independent researcher and writer. The Vietnam Wall. Bennett on March 25, 1968 and Dennis on August 02, 1970 Brothers Gabriel and Paul Trujillo were both killed in Vietnam. More than 200 names have been added to the Wall Many of the 17- and 18-year olds were simply late in maturing. Military Reunions, Screensavers, Rubbings, Personal Guestbook for all Names. The names of those who gave their lives and of those who remain missing are inscribed in the order they were taken from us. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. Please take a moment to let our troops know how much we appreciate their service and sacrifice. 8 Women are on the Wall. Though 13 were rescued at sea, the rest died, either upon impact or soon after. The first Americans to die did not perish in a foxhole or beneath stars obscured by a jungle canopy. At the time, approximately 1,300 names were designated as servicemen who were either missing or prisoners of war. It is more notable, perhaps, only because his was the first name engraved into The Wall. 997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam.
Big Bang Theory Super Asymmetry Disproved, Why Do Seventh Day Adventists Wear Skirts, Town Of Colchester, Vt Building Permit, Eulogy For Husband Who Died Of Cancer, Articles A