Millions more come to experience this Memorial each year. Adding to the problem was Project 100,000. Where previously a high school diploma had been an acceptable goal, now it was college and all the benefits it would bring. The officer corps casualties alone would satisfy that judgment, but that is not the same as being representative. 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. Scholars debate about when the war really began and in many ways it has never ended. Many of them, as experienced pilots, were older (two thirds were thirty or older) and many were high ranking. Derek Turner is a freelance writer and a former senior editor of On Patrol. 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. http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/vietna.. 39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger. A diamond symbol signifies that the service members death was confirmed. 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. And they often show a heartbreakingly wry sense of humor with the same sensibilities as their college-bound peers. Most of the young American enlisted men who served in Vietnam were not college prospects at the time they entered the service. But there is a beginning. The DOD database shows that of the 2,100,000 men and women who served in Vietnam, 58,152 were killed. No duplicate copies of the records that were destroyed in the fire were maintained, nor was a microfilm copy ever produced. Those who could have qualified for college probably did not have the funds or motivation. The central idea of the poem is that the Vietnamese War took hundreds of lives away from the United States of America. On that panel, above the names is this inscription: In honor of the men and women of the armed forces of the United States who served in the Vietnam War. It should be emphasized that 55 percent of all Navy and Air Force officer casualties came as a result of reconnaissance and bombing sorties into North Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. As many as 3 million people visit each year, according to some estimates, and they come for probably as many reasons. In a massive sampling of the database, it was established that between 5 and 6 percent of Vietnam dead had identifiable Hispanic surnames. 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. We were one giant Hollywood B-17 bomber crew, one perfect socioeconomic platoon storming Omaha Beach or Okinawa. VVMF does not have the authority to overrule those who adjudicate these matters. Therefore, a complete listing of the records that were lost is not available. He was a Navy enlisted man during World War II and has a degree in Political Science from Duke University. 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. VVMF receives numerous requests each year from individuals who wish to have particular names added to 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. They drew on every segment of American society. If your browser displays the text file, you can then use They were at their peak physically. But given the draft policies, the hard-sell recruitment, the severe escalation from month to month and the refusal by President Lyndon Johnson to call up the older reserves and National Guard, it could not have been otherwise. Vietnam War Casualties, MIA and POWs. The files are quite large in order that we could save in Rich Text Format A more precise equation would be that the college bound stayed home while the non-college bound served and died. Of 2,590 total Air Force casualties, 1,674 or 65 percent were officers. 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. 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. Twenty years passed before Vandegeers remains were identified and another five passed before his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. Others, later in the war, were simply ineligible because of high lottery number. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 54 soldiers on the Wall attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia. Once additions are approved by DoD, VVMF receives the list of approved names, coordinates the inscribing and absorbs the costs. They seem honored to be putting the names on the Wall.. Search the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s database of 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. Although the names are not listed alphabetically, it is not difficult for visitors to find a name on the Memorial. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. Along with its wave of death, it scarred many people, especially those closest to the men that died fighting the . And, as in every American war, it is the very young who are the most willing to volunteer. that each name was a real person. Our combat arms were thought to be completely classless. Concerning, How do I find a name on the Vietnam War Memorial wall? 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. Inscription at the beginning of The Wall. Marine Corps History Division2044 Broadway StreetQuantico, Virginia 22134Telephone: (703) 432-4877, Coast GuardU.S. The names of Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand and Major Dale Buis are inscribed on Panel 1E of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. 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.. The ship had been taken to the island of Koh Tang. Gather facts from sources at home,and talk to relatives. The DOD percentages reveal that nearly 75 percent of Army enlisted casualties were privates or corporals. the "save as" menu command to store each text file on your media. 1972 NAID 305367, Silver Star Medal and Legion of Merit Award Case Files, 19711971 NAID 5721359. The Vietnam Wall at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park features the names of local fallen soldiers. Look at the bottom of each panel on the wall for its number. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. has the names listed in chronological order by date of loss. Thats a tragic 2,415 more names on the Vietnam Wall in a single month. The panel numbers are inscribed at the bottom of each panel. Full casualty records may be retrieved online through the National Archives' Access to Archival Databases resource. The draft policy at the time of the Vietnam War was called the Universal Military Training and Service Act. Though blessed with talent, his life wasnt without struggles. compiled by Military Records and Research Library, Department of Military Affairs; edited by Julia D. Rather and Jeffrey Michael Duff, Research Our Records. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. Alphabetical listing of the names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall . 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. Indeed, officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. The shining surface is intended to reflect the sun, the ground and those who stand before it. The result: no comprehensive master list of Vietnam War casualties existed. They also died quickly, many within a few weeks or months of arriving in Vietnam. peruse. The widely held notion that the poor served and died in Vietnam while the rich stayed home is way off the mark. November 11, 1982. 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. 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. John Kennedy, discussing military assignments, said that, life is unfair. 997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam. 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 panel number is a number/letter combination, such as 10W or 35E. 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. Tom was killed while assaulting the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl HarborDay. The wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington is 493 feet and 6 inches long, built of thick, polished black Bangalore granite. United States. 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 Air Force lost the highest percentage of officers. To put a circle around the symbol beside their names would not provide the correct historical context related to their situation. Please take a moment to let our troops know how much we appreciate their service and sacrifice. We honor and remember their sacrifice.". . West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. Today, more than 58,000 names are engraved in the wall, and more were added in May. World War II had been, for the most part, a perfect war, clear of purpose, the forces of democracy and freedom lined up against the forces of fascism and tyranny. Photo credit DOD photo by Army Sgt. The very young were considered by many to be preferred combat material. If a name was particularly long, it would be swapped with a shorter name. Locate the corresponding panel at the Memorial. As the Vietnam War dragged on, Kurt tried twice to enlist. In some instances, names needed to be shuffled in order to fit on a line. No single persons service or sacrifice would be any greater than anyone elses. 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. Count down from the top of the panel. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis maintains Vietnam War Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF). However, if officer casualties are added to the total, then this overrepresentation is reduced to 12.5 percent of all casualties. 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. Some common names appear on the Memorial more than once. Much more detailed 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. As one stands before the Wall one feels that no other judgment is acceptable to their living memory. is complete, or you've done a "save as", you can use any word processor If officers are added, then almost 70 percent of those who died were volunteers. Beginning Research in United States Military Records, National Vietnam War Veterans Day - Wikepedia, National Park Service Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The casual visitor might not immediately recognize that Buis name is the first. for all 58,228 names to be read aloud. How many names are on the wall? 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. Unfortunately, the Department of Defense and the individual service branches maintained separate casualty lists with slightly differing criteria. name within a given date. These names are followed by the inscription: Our nation honors the courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty and country of its Vietnam veterans. LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the fourth anniversary of President John F. Kennedys assassination. 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. 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. Download our app to find events, locations and programs near you. This can help veterans or relatives find other persons who died with For information regarding official military unit histories, contact: Air ForceU.S. The lists are based on the "home of record - state" data provided by the serviceman or woman upon last entrance into military service. And they are so respectful when they do the engraving. 1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam. 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 first Americans to die did not perish in a foxhole or beneath stars obscured by a jungle canopy. It is instructive to read the literature of the war, the letters written home from those who died, the novels and narrative accounts of those who served in combat and then returned. Lins vision prevailed. 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. "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. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. Nursing the wounded. In addition, millions of documents had been lent to the Department of Veterans Affairs before the fire occurred. 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. 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. About 58 thousand of the 7 million American service men and women who served in Vietnam died. The names would become the memorial. The first group, added in 1983, included 53 Marines who were killed when their R&R (rest and relaxation) flight crashed in Hong Kong. The USO relies on your support to help service members and their families. Brothers Marlin and Norman Eversgerd were both killed in Vietnam. 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.. Most of these casualties are documented in the Military Index, a FamilySearch file. There are over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. Army and Marine officer casualties were also quite young. His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. How many Smiths can there possibly be who died in Vietnam? The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 245 deaths. 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). 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. It should be noted, however, that the draft was specifically designed to trigger volunteer enlistments. in chronological order of the casualty date and then alphabetical by last 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 was dedicated on November 10, 1982, with 57,939 names. 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. 244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall. 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. Several hundred such designation changes have been made since the Wall was built in 1982. The young enlisted volunteer or draftee had not had much time to form any complicated theories about our Vietnam commitment. Look for clues about where he or she lived and served. 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. to open, search, edit, or print the name files. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. Thus we can see that the channeling philosophy continued within the armed forces. The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. 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. 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. 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. The war is complete, coming full circle, yet broken by the earth that bounds the angles open side and contained within the earth itself. Many others joined the reserves or National Guard, which were not mobilized in any appreciable numbers during the war. the person they know. Please say a prayer for our fallen heroes, their family members, and our hero Vietnam War Veterans during your visit. Lins intention from the beginning was to have the names appear chronologically, beginning and ending at the apex. I mean, it was bad.. The Selective Service System remains in place today. All other individual draftee files from that period were destroyed by the Selective Service System in 1978, in accordance with approved records retention schedules. I could tell you about how real the fear was that I felt, since from the time we crossed the Delta and made the run into Saigon, we were over enemy territory. as the names on the Wall. Beginning at the apex on panel 1E and going out to the end of the East wall, appearing to recede into the earth (numbered 70E May 25, 1968), then resuming at the end of the West wall, as the wall emerges from the earth (numbered 70W continuing May 25, 1968) and ending with a date in 1975. Although it is a truism that the young die in war, one is still unprepared for the fact that 40 percent of Marine enlisted casualties in Vietnam were teenagers; that more than 16 percent of Army enlisted casualties were also teenagers; and that nearly a quarter of all enlisted casualties in Vietnam were between the ages of 17- and 19-years old. His name does not appear at either far end. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest. 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. No other moniker for Sammy Davis Jr. was more accurate. Making these arrangements and printing the pages takes considerable 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. The Vietnam War was no different. 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. Officers of all services, by tradition largely Protestant, remained so during the Vietnam war, sustaining casualties in comparison with Catholics by a 5 to 2 ratio. (The 58,000 Names) Our fallen Vietnam War heroes are herethe 58,000 heroes who died in Vietnam. Text STOP to opt out, HELP for help. readers. By providing your mobile phone number, you opt in to receive calls and texts from USO. And in the patriotic camaraderie typical of Morencis mining families, the nine graduates of Morenci High enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps. Names that become eligible for inclusion are added once each year, in May, a few weeks before Memorial Day. The Selective Service registration requirement was later suspended in April 1975. This can be in the form of a book, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Directory of Names, or one of the various databases. 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. The names are listed in chronological order, according to the date of casualty. Many of the 17- and 18-year olds were simply late in maturing. If the veteran is still alive, ask his or her help finding records. 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). She wanted the names to tell the journey, or the timeline, of the war. More names are added to the wall every year. 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 DOD database listed precise religious preferences for the 58,152 Vietnam casualties. There were no indexes created prior to the fire. In 2004, the total is 58,241 names. The article was written by Bill Abbott, an independent researcher and writer. Frequently relatives or buddies of casualties The burden of combat fell on the very available non-college-bound young. 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. This is the genius of Mayas design, said Scruggs. 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. Others think it is just another tourist stop until they feel the haunting power of this unique work of remembrance. On the west wall, the symbol precedes the name; on the east wall, the symbol follows the name. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. 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. 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. Jimmy died less than 24 hours later on Thanksgiving Day. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. The panels come together to form a point, linking the first and last together in enduring tribute. This memorial was built with private contributions from the American people. They enjoyed roaring beer busts. Except for the last file, there are approximately 10,000 names per file.
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alphabetical list of names on the vietnam wall
