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. Getting to Washington, D.C. Nor did America recognize, on July 8, 1959the day he was killedthat another long and bloody war lay in wait. Where previously a high school diploma had been an acceptable goal, now it was college and all the benefits it would bring. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Vietnam Magazine today! The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Thus we can see that the channeling philosophy continued within the armed forces. The Marine Corps lost 14,836, or 5 percent of its own men. Online Vietnam War Indexes & Records - Military Indexes Of the 7,877 officer casualties, 7,595, or 96.4 percent, were white; 147, or 1.8 percent, were black; 24, or 0.3 percent, were Asian; 7, or .08 percent, were Native American; 104, or 1.3 percent, were unidentified by race. The VC had commandeered Air America Hueys, and they were flying them around, which simply made for a very interesting chess game. In the event a service members remains are returned or accounted for, then a diamond symbol is engraved over the plus sign. site, for searching with a word processor. This is close to, but not exactly in the same order Instead its nearly in the center. Bennett on March 25, 1968 and Dennis on August 02, 1970 Brothers Gabriel and Paul Trujillo were both killed in Vietnam. 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. The panel number is a number/letter combination, such as 10W or 35E. 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. 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. 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. . 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. By his estimate, he helped pull out close to 2,000 people. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. A more precise equation would be that the college bound stayed home while the non-college bound served and died. 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. Through the AFQT process, the men scoring in the higher categories were more likely to be channeled into further specialized training and eventually assigned to technical and administrative units. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. 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. The DOD database listed precise religious preferences for the 58,152 Vietnam casualties. Access to Non-Archival Military Service Records is limited. They lived only a few yards apart. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. Less than 1 percent (0.8) were Jewish, Hindu, Thai, Buddhist or Muslim combined, and 5.7 listed no religion. The unit diary portion of the muster roll should indicate when members of the Lima Company, 3rd platoon. And there would be nothing to denote service or rank. The directory can be purchased on the VVMF store. Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics, Korean War and Vietnam War casualties listed at the National Archives, Hospital Admission Card Files, ca. The training for American officers is thought by most foreign military authorities to be the best in the world. 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. 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). 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. 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. You could also keep these files on a computer at your Once additions are approved by DoD, VVMF receives the list of approved names, coordinates the inscribing and absorbs the costs. 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. It ripped men from their loved ones, family, friends, and it left a wave of death in its path. The Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) was given to all entering enlisted men. The result: no comprehensive master list of Vietnam War casualties existed. Little about it is concrete. THE NAMES ON THE WALL: AN HISTORICAL JUDGMENT. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on November 10, 1982, with 57,939 names. Scholars debate about when the war really began and in many ways it has never ended. 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. Congress and the Johnson administration, therefore, sought to protect our college-bound and educated young men. Unfortunately, the Department of Defense and the individual service branches maintained separate casualty lists with slightly differing criteria. 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. COL LEWIS HERBERT ABRAMS SSG SAMUEL ABRAMS Jr PFC TIMOTHY C ABRAMS Jr WO ANDREW JOHN ABRAMSON CPL MIGUEL A ABREU-BATISTA Jr SP4 ANTHONY JOSEPH ABRUZESE PFC ROBERT ALEXANDER ABRUZESE PFC MICHAEL JOHN ABRUZZESA Jr SGT WILLIAM WALLACE ABSHEAR SGT RICHARD FRANKLIN ABSHIRE PFC JAMES ESTUS ABSTON Jr SSG ROBERT JOSEPH ACALOTTO SP5 PEPITO RIVERA ACERET Doubek contacted the National Personnel Records Center, Archives and Records Service, in St. Louis, Mo. No other moniker for Sammy Davis Jr. was more accurate. Photo credit DOD photo by Army Sgt. 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. Since its controversial beginnings, feelings toward the Vietnam Veterans Memorial have changed drastically. 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 AGE 17 TO 21 PREFERRED ARMY AND MARINE COMBAT MATERIAL. "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. To put a circle around the symbol beside their names would not provide the correct historical context related to their situation. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. This amounted to 4.1 percent of all enlisted casualties in Vietnam. This is the most accurate database online. Fill out the tour request form. Almost 50 percent were majors, lieutenant-colonels, colonels and three were generals. 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 we have pointed out earlier, more than 80 percent of our casualties were Army and Marine enlisted men with an average age of 19- to 20-years. as the names on 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. 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. As one stands before the Wall one feels that no other judgment is acceptable to their living memory. The Vietnam Wall at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park features the names of local fallen soldiers. 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. Some common names appear on the Memorial more than once. He would become instrumental in helping Doubek identify names and check spellings. There are 58,267 names now listed on Vietnam Wall, including those added in 2010. Vandegeer was on a mission to rescue the crew of the SS Mayaguez, a merchant ship captured three days earlier off the coast of Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge. Except for the last file, there are approximately 10,000 names per file. At some The Moving Wall sites, the sponsor makes arrangements Several hundred such designation changes have been made since the Wall was built in 1982. I mean, it was bad.. They also died quickly, many within a few weeks or months of arriving in Vietnam. The panels are numbered beginning from the center out toward the ends of each wall. As they came through the door, Viet Cong guerrillas opened fire with machine guns. But after World War II a kind of educational apartheid had settled over the United States. 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. Although the names are not listed alphabetically, it is not difficult for visitors to find a name on the Memorial. Beside each name is a symbol that denotes a service members status: either missing or confirmed dead. More than 200 names have been added to the Wall Therefore, a complete listing of the records that were lost is not available. On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the NPRC destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files. The popularity of the GI Bill after Vietnam emphasized this yearning. Another challenge was ensuring the accuracy of the names. 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. Postscript: Since 1982, there have been 89 names added to The Wall. Those designated by a plus sign were considered to be missing in action when the war ended. 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.. The first Americans to die did not perish in a foxhole or beneath stars obscured by a jungle canopy. 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 men and women who valiantly fought in the Vietnam War certainly deserve the title of hero. The wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington is 493 feet and 6 inches long, built of thick, polished black Bangalore granite. Photo credit DOD photo. All would be represented equally, with generals listed alongside infantrymen. In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all three would be killed. No duplicate copies of the records that were destroyed in the fire were maintained, nor was a microfilm copy ever produced. Our combat arms were thought to be completely classless. 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. There are students on field trips, some solemn and curious, but some just happy to get out of class. The west wall is on the left when standing facing the vertex, and the east wall is to the right. He tried to make the best call he could when adding names to the list. Their names, however, have been removed from the printed Directory of Names. Those who died in the Vietnam War whose last names begin - Virtual 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. The individual Draft Registration Card (SSS Form 1) may contain information such as: name, Selective Service registration number, age, date and place of birth, ethnicity, place of residence at time of registration and basic physical description. 244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall. Physical examination and test results, medical letters, laboratory work and other medical documentation that may have been included in these files no longer exist. The names of Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand and Major Dale Buis are inscribed on Panel 1E of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. We were one giant Hollywood B-17 bomber crew, one perfect socioeconomic platoon storming Omaha Beach or Okinawa. Many of the 17- and 18-year olds were simply late in maturing. However, in 1980, President James E. Carter resumed Selective Service registration in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. 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 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. Quite a different profile emerges among the Navy and Air force officer corps. Non-perishable items are archived in a storage facility. 39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger. Names that become eligible for inclusion are added once each year, in May, a few weeks before Memorial Day. The young enlisted volunteer or draftee had not had much time to form any complicated theories about our Vietnam commitment. Thats a tragic 2,415 more names on the Vietnam Wall in a single month. offer to read the block of names that includes their special names. Fallen comrades could be together on the Wall, as theyd been in death. Note that the files are large, and are in Rich Text Format (RTF), with two to open, search, edit, or print the name files. An aunt came and loaded the three boys into the car. The affected record collections are described below. This was long before the advent of integrated computer databases. The resulting aptitude scores were used to classify entrants into four categories and this would, for the most part, determine their subsequent assignments. 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. Once download Marine Corps History Division2044 Broadway StreetQuantico, Virginia 22134Telephone: (703) 432-4877, Coast GuardU.S. The shining surface is intended to reflect the sun, the ground and those who stand before it. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. It is hard to believe it is 36 years since the last casualties. Senate. Dates of enlsitment or selective service registration will be helpful along with the name military units they served with. How Many Names are on the Vietnam Wall in 2023 - Name Checks The Army refused him, for medical reasons, both times. What will be the evolving historical judgment for those names on the Wall? 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. This page has been viewed 167,336 times (0 via redirect). 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. The Channeling Memo of July 1965, instructed all local draft boards to give status deferments to college undergraduate and post-graduate students. A diamond symbol signifies that the service members death was confirmed. Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons. readers. The Vietnam Wall Flashcards | Quizlet When the sound of exploding hand grenades rang out in the hall, Buis and others ran toward the sound. 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. This video can help you find the name of someone you'd like to honor. They went for a ride and she gently told them that their father would not be coming home. The panel numbers are inscribed at the bottom of each panel. The USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD). These directories help locate names on the wall. See Access to Non-Archival Records for more information. If a name was particularly long, it would be swapped with a shorter name. Lower end category IVs consisting of those who scored below 20 on the AFQT were usually rejected for service. 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. 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. This year, 14 names were etched into the wall. Individual Award Case Files, 1969 - 1970. 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. Joe Moore's VN Memorial Wall Start Page - cantho-rvn.org Visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC 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. Database of the 58,195 Names on The Wall in Wash,D.C. For more information on this index on, Records relating to American prisoners of war and missing in action from the Vietnam War, including lists and descriptions of the record groups covering the Vietnam War that are held by the National Archives are also found in the FS Library US/CAN Book. A doctor arrived and gave his shaken mother a sedative. 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.