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. Concerning, How do I find a name on the Vietnam War Memorial wall? 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. Indeed, officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. They also died quickly, many within a few weeks or months of arriving in Vietnam. How many women soldiers died in the Vietnam War? Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old. A correspondingly greater tradition of military service in the other regions had its effect on U.S. regional casualties. This came at a time when blacks made up 11 percent of the male population nationwide. 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 Army suffered the most total casualties, 38,179 or 2.7 percent of its force. . The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. From 1964 to 1973, 2,100,000 men and women served in Vietnam, but this was only 8 percent of the 26,000,000 Americans who were eligible for military service. Unfortunately, he mistakenly added a small number of names of men who were still alive. Although the names are not listed alphabetically, it is not difficult for visitors to find a name on the Memorial. 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. Non-Archival records are those of service members who separated from the military less than 62 years ago. They were at their peak physically. As they came through the door, Viet Cong guerrillas opened fire with machine guns. The DOD percentages reveal that nearly 75 percent of Army enlisted casualties were privates or corporals. 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 ceremony is held on Mothers Day and the additions might be as simple as rectifying a clerical error or as heartbreaking as a veteran dying, all these years later, from a wound suffered during the war. Twenty years passed before Vandegeers remains were identified and another five passed before his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. 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. The west wall is on the left when standing facing the vertex, and the east wall is to the right. The Wall of Faces allows family and friends to share memories, post pictures and connect with each other. Officer casualties in Vietnam, including warrant officers, numbered 7,874, or 13.5 percent of all casualties. Protestants were 64.4 percent (37,483), Catholics were 28.9 percent (16,806). 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. The Channeling Memo of July 1965, instructed all local draft boards to give status deferments to college undergraduate and post-graduate students. Family members are invited to witness the inscription and also to attend the annual Memorial Day ceremony when the new names are read at the Wall. 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. 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. 997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam. The Vietnam Wall. and have two columns per page, rather than only one column. | 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. Many of the 17- and 18-year olds were simply late in maturing. The officer corps has always drawn heavily on English/Scottish/Welsh, German, Irish and Scandinavian-American ancestries from middle-class white collar homes, with other large percentages from ambitious working class blue collar and, of course, career military families. All heroes are listed alphabetically by their last name. Richard Sandza received the message on the morning of May 15, 1975, the day his friend became the last American to die in combat during the Vietnam War. site, for searching with a word processor. (The 58,000 Names) Our fallen Vietnam War heroes are herethe 58,000 heroes who died in Vietnam. Note the panel and line number for the name listed. 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. This is close to, but not exactly in the same order as the names on the Wall. The combination of the selective service policies with the skills and aptitude testing of both volunteers and draftees (in which blacks scored noticeably lower) conspired to assign blacks in greater numbers to the combat units of the Army and Marine Corps. This approach would allow veterans, friends and family members to find a loved one by his or her date of casualty. The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 245 deaths. As the Vietnam War dragged on, Kurt tried twice to enlist. They refer to older or younger siblings who are either in or on their way to college. name within a given date. Count down from the top of the panel. ".for those who have died." The Names - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund The Names When the Wall was dedicated in 1982, there were 57,939 names inscribed. With this list in hand, he went to the various locations where individual service records were kept to review files. When the Wall was dedicated in 1982, there were 57,939 names inscribed. Every day, Americas service members selflessly put their lives on the line to keep us safe and free. More than 200 names have been added to the Wall There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall. Only 5 to 10 percent of enlisted men in the combat units were estimated to have had some college, and less than 1 percent of these enlisted men were college graduates. Inscription at the beginning of 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. Names that become eligible for inclusion are added once each year, in May, a few weeks before Memorial Day. Nor did America recognize, on July 8, 1959the day he was killedthat another long and bloody war lay in wait. Nevertheless, 336,111 men were phased into the service under this plan (mostly the Army) and 2,072 were killed. For blacks, however, only 7 percent placed in categories I and II and 93 percent placed in categories III and IV. 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. 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. 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. Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. 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 VC had commandeered Air America Hueys, and they were flying them around, which simply made for a very interesting chess game. If you Of the 7,262 blacks who died, 6,955, or 96 percent, were Army and Marine enlisted men. 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. 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. 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 . Bennett on March 25, 1968 and Dennis on August 02, 1970 Brothers Gabriel and Paul Trujillo were both killed in Vietnam. More Info At www.themovingwall.org Visit site Records of U.S. Military Casualties, Missing in Action, and Prisoners of War from the Era of the Vietnam War are available through the National Archives. This memorial was built with private contributions from the American people. Kurt Buis was 8 years old the day his father died. They drew on every segment of American society. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Eight women were killed in Vietnam, five Army lieutenants, one Army captain, one Army lieutenant colonel and one Air Force captain. The draft continued from 1948, during both peacetime and war, to 1973, when President Richard M. Nixon signed legislation officially ending the draft. 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. The names of Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand and Major Dale Buis are inscribed on Panel 1E of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. Others, later in the war, were simply ineligible because of high lottery number. 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 Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) was given to all entering enlisted men. Look for discharge papers, pictures, medals,etc. 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. Senate. The burden of combat fell on the very available non-college-bound young. And they all went to Vietnam. . 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 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. 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. United States. The largest age group, 8,283 were just 19 years old. Non-perishable items are archived in a storage facility. If a name was particularly long, it would be swapped with a shorter name. With the glitch discovered, Doubek and his team located and hand-corrected each error. Individual Award Case Files, 1969 - 1970. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis maintains Vietnam War Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF). The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. 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. Please be patient The numbers on the wall ascend from the center out toward the left and right extremes. Database of the 58,195 Names on The Wall in Wash,D.C. Blacks were 85 percent Protestant. 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. while they download, thank you. West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. This takes about 72 hours. 1970 - ca. The Vietnam War is no different. Others think it is just another tourist stop until they feel the haunting power of this unique work of remembrance. How many names are on the wall? 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. Order records from the National Personnel Records Center, in St. Louis at the Start your Military Service Record Request page at the National Archives website. Some common names appear on the Memorial more than once. Thus we can see that the channeling philosophy continued within the armed forces. Download our app to find events, locations and programs near you. the person they know. It forces us to the conclusion that many of those names on the wall were kids who just couldnt quite get it together in high school, a little late in maturing intellectually, and didnt have the resources or the guile to get out of the way when the war came. This was long before the advent of integrated computer databases. effort, but is a very effective means to express the enormity of the war and readers. 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. 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. The figures show that on average 65 percent of white enlisted men and 60 percent of black enlisted men were high school graduates. It is hard to believe it is 36 years since the last casualties. Vandegeers message also depicted a man who believed the worst was behind him. compiled by Military Records and Research Library, Department of Military Affairs; edited by Julia D. Rather and Jeffrey Michael Duff, Research Our Records. Vietnam War Casualties, MIA and POWs. And in the patriotic camaraderie typical of Morencis mining families, the nine graduates of Morenci High enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. The panels are numbered beginning from the center out toward the ends of each wall. The Navy fatalities were 2,556 or 2 percent. Though blessed with talent, his life wasnt without struggles. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. has the names listed in chronological order by date of loss. The feeling is that the poor, the undereducated and the minorities made up the vast majority of the combat arms during that 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. There are over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. There are 58,267 names now listed on Vietnam Wall, including those added in 2010. There are officially 58,228 names on the Wall, but the database these files were derived . The Wall USA is a non-profit endeavor maintained by veterans . Each name is listed with great honor and respect. 8 Women are on the Wall. During one review, Doubek found a glitch with the computer software: it did not recognize the spaces that appeared within a last name, such as van der Meide. Nor could it properly discern a compounded first name, such as Billy Bob, versus a traditional first and middle name. Many others joined the reserves or National Guard, which were not mobilized in any appreciable numbers during the war. The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. They often reveal a typically warm American family atmosphere. Adding to the problem was Project 100,000. These files are lists of the names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, listed in chronological order of the casualty date and then alphabetical by last name within a given date. It may come as a surprise to some that 63.3 percent of all Vietnam enlisted casualties were not draftees but volunteers. Since its adoption in 1951, at the time of the Korean War, this policy had been renewed by Congress every four years. The men and women who valiantly fought in the Vietnam War certainly deserve the title of hero. A new Department of Defense (DOD) database computer tape released through the National Archives allows researchers to take a much closer look at our 58,152 Vietnam casualties. The Selective Service System remains in place today. A relatively small number refused to register for the draft at all. 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 is the most accurate database online. 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. To put a circle around the symbol beside their names would not provide the correct historical context related to their situation. 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. Lins intention from the beginning was to have the names appear chronologically, beginning and ending at the apex. Vietnam War Casualties- Main Alphabetical Index www.VirtualWall.org Find A Name Information Memorial pages honoring Vietnam War casualties, listed by their last names. It is hard to believe it has been 36 years since the last casualties. 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. Frequently relatives or buddies of casualties When the sound of exploding hand grenades rang out in the hall, Buis and others ran toward the sound. 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. In civilian life, poor aptitude testing can have a tremendous negative impact, whether for college placement or for simple job advancement. On the west wall, the symbol precedes the name; on the east wall, the symbol follows the name. 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. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. Those designated by a plus sign were considered to be missing in action when the war ended. No other American war has presented such a young profile in combat. 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. We were one giant Hollywood B-17 bomber crew, one perfect socioeconomic platoon storming Omaha Beach or Okinawa. Once download Scholars debate about when the war really began and in many ways it has never ended. There are students on field trips, some solemn and curious, but some just happy to get out of class. Colleen Pontes, whose father Kevin Joyce was added in 2003, remembered the rush of emotions she felt as she and her brother watched their dads name being inscribed in the granite. The shining surface is intended to reflect the sun, the ground and those who stand before it. Look for clues about where he or she lived and served. 1970 NAID 570973, State-Level Fatal Casualty Lists sorted Alphabetically by Last Name, List of United States servicemembers and civilians missing in action during the Vietnam War (196165) Wikipedia, U.S., Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Unaccounted-for Remains, Group A (Recoverable), 1941-1975, U.S., Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Unaccounted-for Remains, Group B (Unrecoverable), 1941-1975, Vietnamw-Era POW/MIA Databases & Documents. 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. . Since its controversial beginnings, feelings toward the Vietnam Veterans Memorial have changed drastically. 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. They enjoyed roaring beer busts. 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. 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 The civilian and military men who formed the policy did not see it necessarily as a disadvantage. Certainly, some who died did come from poor and broken homes in the urban ghettos and barrios, or were from dirt-poor farm homes in the South and Midwest. 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. 12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old. The first two names listed on Panel 1, East Wall, at the apex are from July 8, 1959. Alphabetical listing of the names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall . 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). "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. Almost 50 percent were majors, lieutenant-colonels, colonels and three were generals. 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 wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington is 493 feet and 6 inches long, built of thick, polished black Bangalore granite. Yet, a civilian heroine who served in a different capacity during that difficult time also merits particular acknowledgment. But there is a beginning. Ninety-one percent of these Army officers were warrant officers, second lieutenants, first lieutenants or captains. 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). We honor and remember their sacrifice.". 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. Physical examination and test results, medical letters, laboratory work and other medical documentation that may have been included in these files no longer exist. While VVMF finances the name additions to the Wall, it is the Department of Defense that makes these difficult and often technical decisions. The names are listed in chronological order, according to the date of casualty. Inscribed dots in the margins of every other panel mark every 10 lines to aid in counting. The affected record collections are described below. 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 panels come together to form a point, linking the first and last together in enduring tribute. 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. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. Derek Turner is a freelance writer and a former senior editor of On Patrol. All classes were drafted or volunteered and all served and died equally, although it must be noted that most blacks died separately. Today, more than 58,000 names are engraved in the wall, and more were added in May. It would also enable veterans to find groups of friends who died during the same incident. She wanted the names to tell the journey, or the timeline, of the war. Folded American flags were presented to his parents and an Air Force helicopter flew over the ceremony. In the event a service members remains are returned or accounted for, then a diamond symbol is engraved over the plus sign. Instead its nearly in the center. Charles Holley; chief editor, Robert J. Martin, 4th Infantry Division. 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. The very young were considered by many to be preferred combat material. The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 2,415 casualties were incurred. Where previously a high school diploma had been an acceptable goal, now it was college and all the benefits it would bring. The first Americans to die did not perish in a foxhole or beneath stars obscured by a jungle canopy. You must refer to a database, which gives the names in alphabetical order and includes the position of each on the Memorial. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. 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. Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. No duplicate copies of the records that were destroyed in the fire were maintained, nor was a microfilm copy ever produced. Coast Guard Historians OfficeCommandant (CG-09224)U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters 2100 Second Street SW Washington, D.C. 20593. In high school, he joined ROTC and kept his fathers medals pinned next to his own awards on a piece of crimson cloth. Most of these casualties are documented in the Military Index, a FamilySearch file. And there would be nothing to denote service or rank. This can help veterans or relatives find other persons who died with Their sacrifices were honored July 8, 2009, in Washington during a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of their deaths. His name does not appear at either far end. 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. Our combat arms were thought to be completely classless. See Access to Non-Archival Records for more information. Air Force Historical Research Agency 600 Chenault Circle Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6424Telephone: (334) 953-2395, ArmyU.S. VVMF receives numerous requests each year from individuals who wish to have particular names added to the Memorial. 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. The Selective Service System it said, has the responsibility to deliver manpower to the armed forces in such a manner as to reduce to a minimum any adverse effect upon the national health, safety, interest and progress. The USO relies on your support to help service members and their families. 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.
alphabetical list of names on the vietnam wall