History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. In high school, he joined ROTC and kept his fathers medals pinned next to his own awards on a piece of crimson cloth. Vietnam Wall Memorial Names | Medals Of America Of all enlisted men who died in Vietnam, blacks made up 14.1 percent of the total. Unfortunately, he mistakenly added a small number of names of men who were still alive. How to Find a Name on Vietnam Wall - YouTube 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. Her name? 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. 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. The directories are organized alphabetically by last name. 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. Visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC Dear Mr. Huddleston, Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! Although the names are not listed alphabetically, it is not difficult for visitors to find a name on the Memorial. On the last day of his life, in the moments before our nations history changed forever, Dale Buis was sitting around a rec center watching a movie called The Tattered Dress, starring Jeff Chandler. The panel number is a number/letter combination, such as 10W or 35E. And, as in every American war, it is the very young who are the most willing to volunteer. Only 10 percent of enlisted men had even some college to their credit and only 1 percent were college graduates. Gather facts from sources at home,and talk to relatives. Many of them, as experienced pilots, were older (two thirds were thirty or older) and many were high ranking. This is the most accurate database online. And they are so respectful when they do the engraving. 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. Naval History & Heritage CommandWashington Navy Yard, Bldg 57 (3rd Floor)Washington, DC 20374Telephone: (202) 433-3224, Marine CorpsU.S. The Navy fatalities were 2,556 or 2 percent. In an effort to further preserve the legacy of those who sacrificed all in Vietnam, VVMF is committed to finding a photo to go with each of the more than 58,000 names on The Wall. And they all went to Vietnam. This year, 14 names were etched into the wall. 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. Authority Record - NARA, Records of the U.S. Proving a direct correlation to the injuries is a challenge, Pontes explained. 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. These directories help locate names on the wall. In an audiotape recorded for a close friend shortly before Vandegeers death, and transcribed in Bernard Edelmans book Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam, he described the perilous mission in Saigon. The job of cross-referencing the information of individual branches with the DoD fell to Doubek. http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/vietna.. In the event a service members remains are returned or accounted for, then a diamond symbol is engraved over the plus sign. Charles Holley; chief editor, Robert J. Martin, 4th Infantry Division. VVMF receives numerous requests each year from individuals who wish to have particular names added to the Memorial. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Learn about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in this brief introductory video. Millions more come to experience this Memorial each year. 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. Doubek contacted the National Personnel Records Center, Archives and Records Service, in St. Louis, Mo. 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 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. 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. Quite a different profile emerges among the Navy and Air force officer corps. The officer corps casualties alone would satisfy that judgment, but that is not the same as being representative. Army and Marine officer casualties were also quite young. November 11, 1982. The Marine Corps lost 14,836, or 5 percent of its own men. 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. Despite their inexperience, they were thought to accept discipline readily. The First and the Last Names on The Wall - United Service Organizations 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. This approach would allow veterans, friends and family members to find a loved one by his or her date of casualty. The young enlisted volunteer or draftee had not had much time to form any complicated theories about our Vietnam commitment. There are the tourists who make the circuit of all the various monuments and landmarks in our nations capital. Its now one of the most popular memorials in Washington. Those who could have qualified for college probably did not have the funds or motivation. Vietnam Memorial.com - Vietnam Memorial List of Heroes - Vietnam The Army lost the greatest number of officers 4,635 or 59 percent of all officer casualties. 31 sets of brothers are on the Wall. 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. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis maintains Vietnam War Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF). There is no question that all segments of American society were represented. For information regarding official military unit histories, contact: Air ForceU.S. 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. Individual Award Case Files, 1969 - 1970. Dates of enlsitment or selective service registration will be helpful along with the name military units they served with. In terms of national origin/ancestries, an extensive sampling of the data-base reveals that Americans of French Canadian, Polish, Italian and other Southern and Eastern European surnames made up about 10 percent of the Vietnam casualties. (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. We were being fired upon by anti-aircraft guns. The beginnings and endings are often hazy and the facts of the story lie at the mercy of the teller. Scholars debate about when the war really began and in many ways it has never ended. Senate. 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. More names are added to the wall every year. Some are drawn to the Wall like pilgrims to Mecca. Less than 1 percent (0.8) were Jewish, Hindu, Thai, Buddhist or Muslim combined, and 5.7 listed no religion. 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. A doctor arrived and gave his shaken mother a sedative. Naval Academy, 130; Texas A & M, 112; The Citadel, 66; Virginia Military Institute, 43; Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 26; Norwich University, 19. 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. 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. offer to read the block of names that includes their special names. Military Reunions, Screensavers, Rubbings, Personal Guestbook for all Names. The Air Force lost 2,580 or l percent. Interested in a tour as part of your visit? AGE 17 TO 21 PREFERRED ARMY AND MARINE COMBAT MATERIAL. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. The numbers on the wall ascend from the center out toward the left and right extremes. Vietnam War Casualties- Main Alphabetical Index www.VirtualWall.org Find A Name Information Memorial pages honoring Vietnam War casualties, listed by their last names. The USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD). Inscribed dots in the margins of every other panel mark every 10 lines to aid in counting. Coast Guard casualties are included in the Navy totals. 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. Concerning, How do I find a name on the Vietnam War Memorial wall? 1972 NAID 305367, Silver Star Medal and Legion of Merit Award Case Files, 19711971 NAID 5721359. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept. 7, 1965. Of the 7,262 blacks who died, 6,955, or 96 percent, were Army and Marine enlisted men. Frequently Asked Questions - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund This can be in the form of a book, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Directory of Names, or one of the various databases. Look for clues about where he or she lived and served. This page was last edited on 12 December 2022, at 18:28. NAVY AND AIR FORCE OFFICER CASUALTIES BY RANK AND AGE. Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons. Since its adoption in 1951, at the time of the Korean War, this policy had been renewed by Congress every four years. 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. 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..