This is close to, but not exactly in the same order as the names on the Wall. His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Their sons, if not college material, made up a significant part of the volunteers and draftees. 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. Vietnam Wall Memorial Names | Medals Of America 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. Since its adoption in 1951, at the time of the Korean War, this policy had been renewed by Congress every four years. They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field. The feeling is that the poor, the undereducated and the minorities made up the vast majority of the combat arms during that war. During and after the Vietnam War, the Department of Defense (DoD) compiled a list of combat zone casualties according to criteria in a 1965 Presidential Executive Order. A few years after the dedication, the issue of geographic criteria was expanded by DoD to include people who had been killed outside of the war zone while on or in support of direct combat missions. They went for a ride and she gently told them that their father would not be coming home. 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. In civilian life, poor aptitude testing can have a tremendous negative impact, whether for college placement or for simple job advancement. An aunt came and loaded the three boys into the car. 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. Please say a prayer for our fallen heroes, their family members, and our hero Vietnam War Veterans during your visit. Full casualty records may be retrieved online through the National Archives' Access to Archival Databases resource. More names are added to the wall every year. This approach would allow veterans, friends and family members to find a loved one by his or her date of casualty. 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. This takes about 72 hours. The officer corps casualties alone would satisfy that judgment, but that is not the same as being representative. 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. One additional factor, often overlooked, that influenced volunteer enlistment was military tradition the influence of fathers, grandfathers, brothers, uncles and others who had served in previous 20th century wars. Physical examination and test results, medical letters, laboratory work and other medical documentation that may have been included in these files no longer exist. This video can help you find the name of someone you'd like to honor. November 11, 1982. 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. The last 18 names listed on the bottom of Panel 1, West, also at the apex, are from May 15, 1975. If a name was particularly long, it would be swapped with a shorter name. Of the 7,262 blacks who died, 6,955, or 96 percent, were Army and Marine enlisted men. 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. as the names on the Wall. Items are gathered by park staff. Message & data rates may apply. Except for the last file, there are approximately 10,000 names per file. Making these arrangements and printing the pages takes considerable As a result, the black casualty rate was reduced to 11.5 percent by 1969. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall USA website is dedicated to honoring those who died in the Vietnam War. 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. Early in the war (1965 and 1966) when blacks made up about 11 percent of our Vietnam force, black casualties soared to more than 20 percent of the total. The DOD database shows that of the 2,100,000 men and women who served in Vietnam, 58,152 were killed. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. The first group, added in 1983, included 53 Marines who were killed when their R&R (rest and relaxation) flight crashed in Hong Kong. However, if officer casualties are added to the total, then this overrepresentation is reduced to 12.5 percent of all casualties. The article was originally published in the June 1993 issue of Vietnam Magazine and updated in November 2004. How to Order a Draft Record. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. U.S. Army Personnel and Dependent Casualties, 1961-1981 85% of the records in this database are related to the Vietnam Conflict. Army Major Dale Buis name is etched into the granite half an inch tall, no bigger or smaller than any of the others. 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. . The draft policy at the time of the Vietnam War was called the Universal Military Training and Service Act. However, there have been no such cases. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. 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. Written requests should be mailed to: National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100. 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. In a massive sampling of the database, it was established that between 5 and 6 percent of Vietnam dead had identifiable Hispanic surnames. A doctor arrived and gave his shaken mother a sedative. 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. 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. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. The lists are based on the "home of record - state" data provided by the serviceman or woman upon last entrance into military service. 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. 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. Unfortunately, the Department of Defense and the individual service branches maintained separate casualty lists with slightly differing criteria. Those designated by a plus sign were considered to be missing in action when the war ended. (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. 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. It is more notable, perhaps, only because his was the first name engraved into The Wall. The very young were considered by many to be preferred combat material. The panels come together to form a point, linking the first and last together in enduring tribute. This came at a time when blacks made up 11 percent of the male population nationwide. This memorial was built with private contributions from the American people. The first Americans to die did not perish in a foxhole or beneath stars obscured by a jungle canopy. No single persons service or sacrifice would be any greater than anyone elses. At the time, approximately 1,300 names were designated as servicemen who were either missing or prisoners of war. And they often show a heartbreakingly wry sense of humor with the same sensibilities as their college-bound peers. Coast Guard casualties are included in the Navy totals. This is close to, but not exactly in the same order as the names on the Wall. THE WALL OF FACES - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Look for clues about where he or she lived and served. This is the most accurate database online. ARMY AND MARINE OFFICER CASUALTIES BY RANK AND AGE. I went through the whole list of names eight times, because I was concerned about the correct formatting, remembered Doubek. Once a master list was compiled, the names were checked manually for errors. Joe Moore's VN Memorial Wall Start Page - cantho-rvn.org There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Vietnam Wall. Almost 50 percent were majors, lieutenant-colonels, colonels and three were generals. If you Photo credit DOD photo. Names that become eligible for inclusion are added once each year, in May, a few weeks before Memorial Day. Of the 8000 Coast guardsmen who served in Vietnam, 3 officers and 4 enlisted men were killed and 59 were wounded. The affected record collections are described below. The ship had been taken to the island of Koh Tang. Indeed, officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. 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 Thus, there were 211,455 killed and wounded, or one in every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Page Vietnam Memorial.com - Vietnam Memorial List of Heroes - 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 DOD database listed precise religious preferences for the 58,152 Vietnam casualties. If the veteran is still alive, ask his or her help finding records. 3rd Battalion. 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. By and large, with the exception of the officer corps, most of the college bound and educated skipped the Vietnam War at the urging of, and with the approval of, their own government. Are the names on the Vietnam Memorial in alphabetical order? Adding to the problem was Project 100,000. Vietnam War Casualties- Main Alphabetical Index www.VirtualWall.org Find A Name Information Memorial pages honoring Vietnam War casualties, listed by their last names. All heroes are listed alphabetically by their last name. The Vietnam War is no different. Naval History & Heritage CommandWashington Navy Yard, Bldg 57 (3rd Floor)Washington, DC 20374Telephone: (202) 433-3224, Marine CorpsU.S. Another challenge was ensuring the accuracy of the names. But after World War II a kind of educational apartheid had settled over the United States. Thus we can see that the channeling philosophy continued within the armed forces. The Air Force lost 2,580 or l percent. Black leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., protested, and President Johnson ordered black participation in combat units cut back. Millions more come to experience this Memorial each year. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. 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. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. Wall Information - The Wall USA We were one giant Hollywood B-17 bomber crew, one perfect socioeconomic platoon storming Omaha Beach or Okinawa. Unfortunately, he mistakenly added a small number of names of men who were still alive. 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. Search the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund&CloseCurlyQuote;s database of names on the wall. 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. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Vietnam Magazine today! "Home of record" does not necessarily refer to the place of birth, residence of next of kin, place of longest residence, nor other common uses of the term "hometown." The Vietnam Registry - Connecting our Veterans and Stewarding their Stories An estimated 11,000 women served in Vietnam. Look at the bottom of each panel on the wall for its number. Text STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Others think it is just another tourist stop until they feel the haunting power of this unique work of remembrance. Download our app to find events, locations and programs near you. A.. B.. C.. D.. E.. F.. G.. H.. The civilian and military men who formed the policy did not see it necessarily as a disadvantage. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept. 7, 1965. Seeking Names of Marines killed in Vietnam in D | History Hub The Army suffered the most total casualties, 38,179 or 2.7 percent of its force. The names would become the memorial. Since its controversial beginnings, feelings toward the Vietnam Veterans Memorial have changed drastically. 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. In order to have your name on the Wall, you had to have died within the war zone, explained Doubek. This year, 14 names were etched into the wall. Thats a tragic 2,415 more names on the Vietnam Wall in a single month. Vietnam War Casualties, MIA and POWs. Non-Archival records are those of service members who separated from the military less than 62 years ago. 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. They refer to older or younger siblings who are either in or on their way to college. site, for searching with a word processor. 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. 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. At the time, approximately 1,300 names were designated as servicemen who were either missing or prisoners of war. As of 2017, there are 58,318 names inscribed on The Wall. The Wall on the Web < < - vietvet.org How many women soldiers died in the Vietnam War? There are officially 58,228 names on the Wall, but the database these files were derived . The Wall of Faces allows family and friends to share memories, post pictures and connect with each other. Others, later in the war, were simply ineligible because of high lottery number. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. Marlin on March 19, 1967 and Norman on August 18, 1968 Brothers Bennett and Dennis Herrick were both killed in Vietnam. The chronological order allows veterans who were in a battle to see their friends forever united on the Wall, he explained. 244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall. They were struggling through or dropping out of high school, or if a high school graduate, had tested poorly for college entrance. 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 . As one stands before the Wall one feels that no other judgment is acceptable to their living memory. The directories are organized alphabetically by last name. Only 10 percent of enlisted men had even some college to their credit and only 1 percent were college graduates. Marine Corps History Division2044 Broadway StreetQuantico, Virginia 22134Telephone: (703) 432-4877, Coast GuardU.S. 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. 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. Virtual Wall of Faces almost complete, needs remaining photos - VA News 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. Several hundred such designation changes have been made since the Wall was built in 1982. On the stencil printouts, each line contained five names per row. 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. http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/vietna.. Those who could have qualified for college probably did not have the funds or motivation. What the MIT study almost certainly showed was that members of the so-called working class consisting of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, firemen, policemen, technicians, skilled factory operatives, farmers, etc., were living in middle class communities and were, therefore, part of our burgeoning middle class. The names of those who gave their lives and of those who remain missing are inscribed in the order they were taken from us. Who were they? And they all went to Vietnam. Derek Turner is a freelance writer and a former senior editor of On Patrol. Gather facts from sources at home,and talk to relatives. 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. For a photograph of an inscription of a close friend or relative, write: This website requires a paid subscription for full access. person reads for 20 minutes, (270 names) this will require 216 volunteer name 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. They often reveal a typically warm American family atmosphere. We searched the National Archives Catalog and located a series titled Muster Rolls and Personnel Diaries, 1941-1980 in the Records of the U.S. Marine Corps (Record Group 127). NAVY AND AIR FORCE OFFICER CASUALTIES BY RANK AND AGE. the person they know. 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. and have two columns per page, rather than only one column. do this, be sure to have an alternate reader assigned to take over in case 1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam. She wanted the names to tell the journey, or the timeline, of the war. How Many Names are on the Vietnam Wall in 2023 - Name Checks When the Wall was dedicated in 1982, there were 57,939 names inscribed. 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. 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. What will be the evolving historical judgment for those names on the Wall? 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. Early on President Johnson, his advisers and especially the Congress, realized that if the draft was to be truly equitable and had included combat assignments in Vietnam for the sons of the educationally advantaged and influential Americans from the professional and managerial classes, then the resulting uproar would have shut down the war. 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. Today, more than 58,000 names are engraved in the wall, and more were added in May. However, in 1980, President James E. Carter resumed Selective Service registration in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Scholars debate about when the war really began and in many ways it has never ended. Digital History 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. It was fitting that Vandegeer finally returned home to American soil, because he spent his last weeks at war evacuating Americans as Saigon fell. 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. Vietnam War: in Country, Notice: Scanning of Vietnam-era Deck Logs, Vietnam War, 1961-1975. Lins intention from the beginning was to have the names appear chronologically, beginning and ending at the apex. Often that advice, especially for professional athletes, rock stars, sons of politicians and other celebrities, was to join the never-to-be-called-up reserves or National Guard. In the military it can be somewhat more deadly. For families who have worked to have their loved ones name added, the journey can be long and exhausting. 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. There is no question that all segments of American society were represented. The DOD percentages reveal that nearly 75 percent of Army enlisted casualties were privates or corporals. Quite a different profile emerges among the Navy and Air force officer corps. It specified the geographic areas of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and surrounding coastal areas as combat zones. Some recent studies tend to refute what had been the perceived wisdom of social scientists and other commentators that our Vietnam dead came overwhelmingly from the poor communities. Army Center of Military History103 3rd AvenueFort Lesley J. McNair, DC 20319-5058Telephone: (202) 685-4042, NavyU.S.
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