The appearance of DoD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. This was long before the advent of integrated computer databases. How many Smiths can there possibly be who died in Vietnam? One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old. Message & data rates may apply. Folded American flags were presented to his parents and an Air Force helicopter flew over the ceremony. Once a master list was compiled, the names were checked manually for errors. It gives the names in alphabetical order and . 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. Congress. The figures show that on average 65 percent of white enlisted men and 60 percent of black enlisted men were high school graduates. The Vietnam Wall. 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. Yet, a civilian heroine who served in a different capacity during that difficult time also merits particular acknowledgment. While their names are not on The Wall, they are never forgotten. The affected record collections are described below. These casualties came largely from the Northeast and North Central regions of the United States, many from the traditionally patriotic, Catholic working class neighborhoods. 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. 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. 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. Naval Academy, 130; Texas A & M, 112; The Citadel, 66; Virginia Military Institute, 43; Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 26; Norwich University, 19. Alphabetical listing of the names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall . Another challenge was ensuring the accuracy of the names. 244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall. 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. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. If a name was particularly long, it would be swapped with a shorter name. Many others joined the reserves or National Guard, which were not mobilized in any appreciable numbers during the war. More Info At www.themovingwall.org Visit site Protestants were 64.4 percent (37,483), Catholics were 28.9 percent (16,806). ".for those who have died." Despite their inexperience, they were thought to accept discipline readily. 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. The numbers on the wall ascend from the center out toward the left and right extremes. 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 Vietnam Veterans Memorial is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for all who wish to visit. The panel numbers are inscribed at the bottom of each panel. In civilian life, poor aptitude testing can have a tremendous negative impact, whether for college placement or for simple job advancement. 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 Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's registry enables veterans across the world to be able to locate fellow Vietnam Veterans and of course, connect their stories with those who made the ultimate sacrifice. But after World War II a kind of educational apartheid had settled over the United States. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Vietnam Magazine today! Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 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. offer to read the block of names that includes their special names. The event begins on November 7, 2022 at 3 p.m. EST and ends at midnight on November 10, 2022. However, if officer casualties are added to the total, then this overrepresentation is reduced to 12.5 percent of all casualties. 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 beginnings and endings are often hazy and the facts of the story lie at the mercy of the teller. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. Derek Turner is a freelance writer and a former senior editor of On Patrol. (The 58,000 Names) Our fallen Vietnam War heroes are herethe 58,000 heroes who died in Vietnam. The training for American officers is thought by most foreign military authorities to be the best in the world. 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. VVMF does not have the authority to overrule those who adjudicate these matters. Since then, 379 names have been added, for a total of 58,318 (as of Memorial Day 2017). 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. Coast Guard Historians OfficeCommandant (CG-09224)U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters 2100 Second Street SW Washington, D.C. 20593. the "save as" menu command to store each text file on your media. The names of those who gave their lives and of those who remain missing are inscribed in the order they were taken from us. the reader loses composure. What happens to items left at the memorial? For information regarding official military unit histories, contact: Air ForceU.S. The draft continued from 1948, during both peacetime and war, to 1973, when President Richard M. Nixon signed legislation officially ending the draft. 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. As one stands before the Wall one feels that no other judgment is acceptable to their living memory. And, as in every American war, it is the very young who are the most willing to volunteer. Interested in a tour as part of your visit? 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. All would be represented equally, with generals listed alongside infantrymen. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. The Army refused him, for medical reasons, both times. But in 1966, President Johnson and Secretary of Defense McNamara decided to institute Project 100,000 that would allow category IV men to enter the military. But there is a beginning. 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. 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. The panel number is a number/letter combination, such as 10W or 35E. 26 Similar Questions 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. Indeed, officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. Their sons, if not college material, made up a significant part of the volunteers and draftees. The lists are based on the "home of record - state" data provided by the serviceman or woman upon last entrance into military service. Individual Award Case Files, 1969 - 1970. 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. You must refer to a database, which gives the names in alphabetical order and includes the position of each on the Memorial. Buis can be found at the top middle of a slab designated Panel 1E. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. Once download 39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger. Access to Non-Archival Military Service Records is limited. The directory can be purchased on the VVMF store. 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. Please be patient 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. Army Major Dale Buis' name is etched into the granite half an inch tall, no bigger or smaller than any of the others. . 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. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. 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. Look at the bottom of each panel on the wall for its number. They lived only a few yards apart. Unfortunately, the Department of Defense and the individual service branches maintained separate casualty lists with slightly differing criteria. He admitted no particular feelings about the righteousness of the war, and allowed himself to look ahead into a future free of war and obligation. Marine Corps History Division2044 Broadway StreetQuantico, Virginia 22134Telephone: (703) 432-4877, Coast GuardU.S. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 Order it can be difficult but there are a few ways to find a name at either end of the memorial are stands with books inside these list the names in alphabetical. This can help veterans or relatives find other persons who died with 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. Kurt became the man of the house, even as a boy. In order to have your name on the Wall, you had to have died within the war zone, explained Doubek. The last 18 names listed on the bottom of Panel 1, West, also at the apex, are from May 15, 1975. Vandegeers message also depicted a man who believed the worst was behind him. This page has been viewed 167,336 times (0 via redirect). 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. The directories are organized alphabetically by last name. They refer to older or younger siblings who are either in or on their way to college. 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. for all 58,228 names to be read aloud. Black leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., protested, and President Johnson ordered black participation in combat units cut back. 1972 NAID 305367, Silver Star Medal and Legion of Merit Award Case Files, 19711971 NAID 5721359. Vietnam War, Awards and Decorations of Honor, 1965-1972. I went through the whole list of names eight times, because I was concerned about the correct formatting, remembered Doubek. The Wall of Faces allows family and friends to share memories, post pictures and connect with each other. On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the NPRC destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files. Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. Inscribed dots in the margins of every other panel mark every 10 lines to aid in counting. The unit diary portion of the muster roll should indicate when members of the Lima Company, 3rd platoon. Some are drawn to the Wall like pilgrims to Mecca. The Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) was given to all entering enlisted men. They did not, in most cases, carry the burdens of wife or children. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. In high school, he joined ROTC and kept his fathers medals pinned next to his own awards on a piece of crimson cloth. 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.. 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. He did it allsing, dance, create music and crack wise. 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. but will allow you to download it after you specify a file name. The burden of combat fell on the very available non-college-bound young. The casual visitor might not immediately recognize that Buis name is the first. The officer corps casualties alone would satisfy that judgment, but that is not the same as being representative. that each name was a real person. readers. This is the genius of Mayas design, said Scruggs. The Vietnam War is no different. Why are names added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall? Lins intention from the beginning was to have the names appear chronologically, beginning and ending at the apex. Written requests should be mailed to: National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100. 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 . This year, 14 names were etched into the wall. I mean, it was bad.. Each entry includes a panel number and letter; "W" is for "west" or the left half of the memorial, "E" is for east, or the right half of the memorial. It is not surprising, for instance, that West Virginia, Montana, and Oklahoma had a casualty rate almost twice that of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. What will be the evolving historical judgment for those names on the Wall? We honor and remember their sacrifice.". With the glitch discovered, Doubek and his team located and hand-corrected each error. 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. Only 3 returned home. Dates of enlsitment or selective service registration will be helpful along with the name military units they served with. 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. The first two names listed on Panel 1, East Wall, at the apex are from July 8, 1959. Download our app to find events, locations and programs near you. Ziomek's name was finally inscribed on the Washington memorial on Sept. 15, 2020; he was one of just three veterans added in 2020. 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. Much more detailed Records of individuals who left service more than 62 years ago are considered Archival Records and become records of the National Archives open to the general public. Concerning, How do I find a name on the Vietnam War Memorial 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. National Mall and Memorial Parks , Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. Beginning Research in United States Military Records, National Vietnam War Veterans Day - Wikepedia, National Park Service Vietnam Veterans Memorial. In addition, millions of documents had been lent to the Department of Veterans Affairs before the fire occurred. 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. As one walks the Wall slowly, examining the ineffably American names, one is struck by the same recurring surnames. Making these arrangements and printing the pages takes considerable We were being fired upon by anti-aircraft guns. . The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. . since it was dedicated because additional casualty records were found and 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. There are over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Vietnam Wall. The Channeling Memo of July 1965, instructed all local draft boards to give status deferments to college undergraduate and post-graduate students. 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. Text STOP to opt out, HELP for help. For blacks, however, only 7 percent placed in categories I and II and 93 percent placed in categories III and IV. Tom was killed while assaulting the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl HarborDay. Military Reunions, Screensavers, Rubbings, Personal Guestbook for all Names. while they download, thank you. Her name? 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. There are 58,267 names now listed on Vietnam Wall, including those added in 2010. A.. B.. C.. D.. E.. F.. G.. H.. 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. Only 10 percent of enlisted men had even some college to their credit and only 1 percent were college graduates. The Navy had a similar profile: 55 percent of its 622 officer casualties were 30 years of age or older, and 45 percent were ranked at lieutenant commander or above when they died. The National Park Service offers these steps for locating a name: National Park Service rangers and volunteers are available to assist in locating names at the Memorial. 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. 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. 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. Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Each name is listed with great honor and respect. The Air Force lost 2,580 or l percent. Naval History & Heritage CommandWashington Navy Yard, Bldg 57 (3rd Floor)Washington, DC 20374Telephone: (202) 433-3224, Marine CorpsU.S. The central idea of the poem is that the Vietnamese War took hundreds of lives away from the United States of America. 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. The shining surface is intended to reflect the sun, the ground and those who stand before it. However, in 1980, President James E. Carter resumed Selective Service registration in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. If a service member were to return alive, a circlethe symbol of lifewould be inscribed around the plus sign. The panels come together to form a point, linking the first and last together in enduring tribute. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. We worked very hard with volunteers from the Gold Star Mothers, recalled Doubek. Patricia Krause. The Selective Service System remains in place today. There was no need to embellish. 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. A(1780 names - 239023 bytes) B(5502 names - 737972 bytes) C(4363 names - 586584 bytes) D(2790 names - 374290 bytes) E(1082 names - 144866 bytes) F(1979 names - 265759 bytes) G(3036 names - 407075 bytes) H(4463 names - 598834 bytes) I(218 names - 29278 bytes) J(1845 names - 247563 bytes) K(2039 names - 273818 bytes) L(2594 names - 347007 bytes) For families who have worked to have their loved ones name added, the journey can be long and exhausting. 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). 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. Fallen comrades could be together on the Wall, as theyd been in death. The makeup of U.S. combat forces in Vietnam has long been the subject of controversy among social scientists. 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. Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. 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. Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010: see the "National Cemeteries and Beneficiaries" section below. 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. 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. Others, later in the war, were simply ineligible because of high lottery number. The Marines of Morenciled some of thebest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop. As of 2017, there are 58,318 names inscribed on The Wall. The USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD). Every day, Americas service members selflessly put their lives on the line to keep us safe and free. 31 sets of brothers 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. Little about it is concrete. There are the tourists who make the circuit of all the various monuments and landmarks in our nations capital.