5,058) had ever known and cheered. This was long before the advent of integrated computer databases. Fallen comrades could be together on the Wall, as theyd been in death. Interested in a tour as part of your visit? 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. Beside each name is a symbol that denotes a service members status: either missing or confirmed dead. As a region, the South experienced the greatest numbers of dead, nearly 34 percent of the total, or 31.0 deaths per 100,000 of population. By providing your mobile phone number, you opt in to receive calls and texts from USO. 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. 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. Beginning Research in United States Military Records, National Vietnam War Veterans Day - Wikepedia, National Park Service Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Many of them, as experienced pilots, were older (two thirds were thirty or older) and many were high ranking. 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 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. If a service member were to return alive, a circlethe symbol of lifewould be inscribed around the plus sign. Congress and the Johnson administration, therefore, sought to protect our college-bound and educated young men. The Vietnam Wall - vva310.org . On Patrol caught up with Pete Peterson to find out how the U.S.-Vietnam relationship has progressed since the normalization of ties in 1995. that each name was a real person. "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." Buis can be found at the top middle of a slab designated Panel 1E. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Vietnam Magazine today! 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. And there are the Vietnam veterans, who come to recognize the sacrifice of their fellow warriors, wondering why their own names are not there, too. 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 Vietnam Wall at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park features the names of local fallen soldiers. Maya Lin - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund The files are quite large in order that we could save in Rich Text Format Click to learn about the In Memory program . 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. The Army refused him, for medical reasons, both times. Buis was in Vietnam by his own volition. 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. The Army lost the greatest number of officers 4,635 or 59 percent of all officer casualties. Twenty years passed before Vandegeers remains were identified and another five passed before his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. 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 Vietnam War is no different. 54 soldiers on the Wall attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia. These names are followed by the inscription: Our nation honors the courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty and country of its Vietnam veterans. Look at the bottom of each panel on the wall for its number. And, as in every American war, it is the very young who are the most willing to volunteer. She wanted the names to tell the journey, or the timeline, of the war. And they are so respectful when they do the engraving. A diamond symbol signifies that the service members death was confirmed. Once additions are approved by DoD, VVMF receives the list of approved names, coordinates the inscribing and absorbs the costs. The National Archives prepared these state level casualty lists by creating extracts from the Korean War Extract Data File and the Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File, both as of April 29, 2008, of the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) Files, part of Record Group 330: Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. As of 2017, there are 58,318 names inscribed on The Wall. This is close to, but not exactly in the same order as the names on the Wall. Written requests should be mailed to: National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100. Naval History & Heritage CommandWashington Navy Yard, Bldg 57 (3rd Floor)Washington, DC 20374Telephone: (202) 433-3224, Marine CorpsU.S. The affected record collections are described below. Dear Mr. Huddleston, Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! Military Reunions, Screensavers, Rubbings, Personal Guestbook for all Names. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. AGE 17 TO 21 PREFERRED ARMY AND MARINE COMBAT MATERIAL. 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). since it was dedicated because additional casualty records were found and The Buddies of Midvale LeRoy Tafoya, Jimmy Martinez, Tom Gonzales were all boyhood friends and lived on three consecutive streets in Midvale, Utah on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh avenues. On the other end of that phone call was an former Air Force officer who had served in Vietnam. Each name is listed with great honor and respect. This is the most accurate database online. Another browser may inform you that it does not know how to display the file Patricia Krause. A relatively small number refused to register for the draft at all. 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. He tried to make the best call he could when adding names to the list. The numbers on the wall ascend from the center out toward the left and right extremes. 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 Instead its nearly in the center. 3rd Battalion. Who were they? 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. For families who have worked to have their loved ones name added, the journey can be long and exhausting. In order to have your name on the Wall, you had to have died within the war zone, explained Doubek. 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. For those and a handful of other unique circumstances, Doubek made his own list of men who had died due to the injuries in the combat zonesnames that may have been listed by an individual service branch, but not by DoD. Physical examination and test results, medical letters, laboratory work and other medical documentation that may have been included in these files no longer exist. An aunt came and loaded the three boys into the car. Except for the last file, there are approximately 10,000 names per file. Inscription at the beginning of The Wall. 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. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest. How to Find a Name on Vietnam Wall - YouTube Vietnam Wall Memorial Names | Medals Of America By his estimate, he helped pull out close to 2,000 people. On November 7, 2021 VVMF began a daily virtual Reading of the Names. And there would be nothing to denote service or rank. There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Vietnam Wall. How many names are on the wall? Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. If the two branches are combined, then 80 percent of the Army and Marine enlisted casualties were privates or corporals, grades E-1 to E-4. The Names - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Why are names added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall? Vietnam Veterans Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) When the Wall was dedicated in 1982, there were 57,939 names inscribed. The Wall USA is a non-profit endeavor maintained by veterans . 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. (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. The casual visitor might not immediately recognize that Buis name is the first. information is available on this web site: These files are lists of the names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, listed The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. has the names listed in chronological order by date of loss. ".for those who have died." Kurt Buis was 8 years old the day his father died. They enjoyed roaring beer busts. Lins intention from the beginning was to have the names appear chronologically, beginning and ending at the apex. 5th Marines were killed in . Most of the young American enlisted men who served in Vietnam were not college prospects at the time they entered the service. Names that become eligible for inclusion are added once each year, in May, a few weeks before Memorial Day. The Air Force lost the highest percentage of officers. The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 245 deaths. 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. Concerning, How do I find a name on the Vietnam War Memorial wall? "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. Inscription at the beginning of The Wall. Only 3 returned home. Most of these casualties are documented in the Military Index, a FamilySearch file. Once download Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons. This memorial was built with private contributions from the American people. The first two names listed on Panel 1, East Wall, at the apex are from July 8, 1959. effort, but is a very effective means to express the enormity of the war and "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. 5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old. 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 WALL OF FACES - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund The directories are organized alphabetically by last name. This can be in the form of a book, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Directory of Names, or one of the various databases. In addition, millions of documents had been lent to the Department of Veterans Affairs before the fire occurred. West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. The Vietnam Wall Flashcards | Quizlet Thats a tragic 2,415 more names on the Vietnam Wall in a single month. Fill out the tour request form. 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. How many women soldiers died in the Vietnam War? At some The Moving Wall sites, the sponsor makes arrangements 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 article was originally published in the June 1993 issue of Vietnam Magazine and updated in November 2004. They lived only a few yards apart. It was fitting that Vandegeer finally returned home to American soil, because he spent his last weeks at war evacuating Americans as Saigon fell. 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. The names of Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand and Major Dale Buis are inscribed on Panel 1E of the Vietnam War Memorial 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. 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. The west wall is on the left when standing facing the vertex, and the east wall is to the right. 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. . Additionally, many of the names on the wall were other teenagers from the suburban white collar communities with siblings who were in, or would go on to college, but who, as individuals themselves, were slow to mature, struggled through high school and were therefore very available for the Vietnam War. The very young were considered by many to be preferred combat material. Are the names on the Vietnam Memorial in alphabetical order? Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. 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 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. Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons. 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. It ripped men from their loved ones, family, friends, and it left a wave of death in its path. How to Order a Draft Record. 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. 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 page was last edited on 12 December 2022, at 18:28. They were struggling through or dropping out of high school, or if a high school graduate, had tested poorly for college entrance. 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 What will be the evolving historical judgment for those names on the Wall? This amounted to 4.1 percent of all enlisted casualties in Vietnam.