alphabetical list of names on the vietnam wall

Copies of WWII though Vietnam era (men born April 28, 1877 to March 28, 1957) Selective Service Records may be obtained from the National Personnel Records Center, in St. Louis, for a fee. 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. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Vietnam Magazine today! The black granite walls are engraved with the names of more than 58,000 men and women who laid down their lives or remained missing. 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 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. ), EDUCATIONAL LEVELS OF ENLISTED CASUALTIES. There was no need to embellish. It stands near Panel 1W, which holds the name of the last to die in combat. On November 7, 2021 VVMF began a daily virtual Reading of the Names. But given the draft policies, the hard-sell recruitment, the severe escalation from month to month and the refusal by President Lyndon Johnson to call up the older reserves and National Guard, it could not have been otherwise. Many of them, as experienced pilots, were older (two thirds were thirty or older) and many were high ranking. 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. These casualties came largely from the Northeast and North Central regions of the United States, many from the traditionally patriotic, Catholic working class neighborhoods. However, in 1980, President James E. Carter resumed Selective Service registration in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. As one walks the Wall slowly, examining the ineffably American names, one is struck by the same recurring surnames. The names of the 2,504 Americans missing in action from the Vietnam War are on the Tablets of the Missing at the ABMC Honolulu Memorial. Coast Guard Historians OfficeCommandant (CG-09224)U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters 2100 Second Street SW Washington, D.C. 20593. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis maintains Vietnam War Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF). but will allow you to download it after you specify a file name. About 58 thousand of the 7 million American service men and women who served in Vietnam died. 1972 NAID 305367, Silver Star Medal and Legion of Merit Award Case Files, 19711971 NAID 5721359. 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. Little about it is concrete. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. 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. Written requests should be mailed to: National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100. There are the tourists who make the circuit of all the various monuments and landmarks in our nations capital. 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. Message & data rates may apply. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. As of 2017, there are 58,318 names inscribed on The Wall. Beginning Research in United States Military Records, National Vietnam War Veterans Day - Wikepedia, National Park Service Vietnam Veterans Memorial. 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. The Marine Corps lost 14,836, or 5 percent of its own men. The Army refused him, for medical reasons, both times. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. Doubek was tasked with identifying all of the names to be included on the Wall. Of the 7,262 blacks who died, 6,955, or 96 percent, were Army and Marine enlisted men. The training for American officers is thought by most foreign military authorities to be the best in the world. 54 soldiers on the Wall attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. How many Smiths can there possibly be who died in Vietnam? NAVY AND AIR FORCE OFFICER CASUALTIES BY RANK AND AGE. 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. If a service member were to return alive, a circlethe symbol of lifewould be inscribed around the plus sign. VVMF receives numerous requests each year from individuals who wish to have particular names added to the Memorial. Their sons, if not college material, made up a significant part of the volunteers and draftees. 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. They lived only a few yards apart. The names would become the memorial. Lins vision prevailed. It gives the names in alphabetical order and . Military Reunions, Screensavers, Rubbings, Personal Guestbook for all Names. All heroes are listed alphabetically by their last name. The unit diary portion of the muster roll should indicate when members of the Lima Company, 3rd platoon. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. 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. With this list in hand, he went to the various locations where individual service records were kept to review files. The names are listed chronologically by date of death, the first to last. The Reading of the Names is an in-person event where every single name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is read in order of which it appears on The Wall. It is more notable, perhaps, only because his was the first name engraved into The Wall. This is close to, but not exactly in the same order as the names on the Wall. Tom was killed while assaulting the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl HarborDay. This is the genius of Mayas design, said Scruggs. I can envision a small cottage someplace, with a lot of writing paper, and a dog, and a fireplace, and maybe enough money to give myself some Irish coffee now and then and entertain my two friends , I dont think it will be too terribly long until we are together again.. This memorial was built with private contributions from the American people. Thus we can see that the channeling philosophy continued within the armed forces. Its still fought in the bodies and minds of the men who waged it all those decades ago. The Marine Corps losses were skewed even more to the lower ranks, 91 percent were privates or corporals. The draftee, if found physically and mentally fit, would be inducted for a period of two years, to be followed by another two year period in the active reserves and a subsequent two years in the inactive reserves. A doctor arrived and gave his shaken mother a sedative. Congress and the Johnson administration, therefore, sought to protect our college-bound and educated young men. The idea that American enlisted dead were made up largely of societys poverty stricken misfits is a terrible slander to their memory and to the solid working-class and middle-class families of this country who provided the vast majority of our casualties. In a massive sampling of the database, it was established that between 5 and 6 percent of Vietnam dead had identifiable Hispanic surnames. Naval Academy, 130; Texas A & M, 112; The Citadel, 66; Virginia Military Institute, 43; Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 26; Norwich University, 19. effort, but is a very effective means to express the enormity of the war and As many as 3 million people visit each year, according to some estimates, and they come for probably as many reasons. We were being fired upon by anti-aircraft guns. The names are listed in chronological order, according to the date of casualty. 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. This, they felt, would offer these men the opportunity to get remedial training in the service and then be able to compete successfully when they returned to civilian life. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. the person they know. At some The Moving Wall sites, the sponsor makes arrangements Making these arrangements and printing the pages takes considerable ARMY AND MARINE OFFICER CASUALTIES BY RANK AND AGE. While VVMF finances the name additions to the Wall, it is the Department of Defense that makes these difficult and often technical decisions. Note the panel and line number for the name listed. Marine Corps History Division2044 Broadway StreetQuantico, Virginia 22134Telephone: (703) 432-4877, Coast GuardU.S. Marlin on March 19, 1967 and Norman on August 18, 1968 Brothers Bennett and Dennis Herrick were both killed in Vietnam. 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. 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. Many others joined the reserves or National Guard, which were not mobilized in any appreciable numbers during the war. 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 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. Locate the corresponding panel at the Memorial. His name does not appear at either far end. NAID 5709942, U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency, National Archives Command Chronologies:Vietnam War, National Archives Command Chronologies: Vietnam War: Index to Reports, National Archves. 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. The panel numbers are inscribed at the bottom of each panel. They were struggling through or dropping out of high school, or if a high school graduate, had tested poorly for college entrance. . It specified the geographic areas of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and surrounding coastal areas as combat zones. 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. 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. Though blessed with talent, his life wasnt without struggles. 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. A relatively small number refused to register for the draft at all. They also died quickly, many within a few weeks or months of arriving in Vietnam. Ziomek's name was finally inscribed on the Washington memorial on Sept. 15, 2020; he was one of just three veterans added in 2020. 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. 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. 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. This number of deaths per 100,000 compared strikingly with the 23.5 in the Northeast region, 29.9 in the West and 28.4 in the North Central (Midwest) region. Army Major Dale Buis' name is etched into the granite half an inch tall, no bigger or smaller than any of the others. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest. The names are inscribed in the chronological order of their dates of casualty, showing the war as a series of individual human sacrifices and giving each name a special place in history. Indeed, officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. They went for a ride and she gently told them that their father would not be coming home. The chronological order allows veterans who were in a battle to see their friends forever united on the Wall, he explained. 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. There are 58,267 names now listed on Vietnam Wall, including those added in 2010. Officer casualties in Vietnam, including warrant officers, numbered 7,874, or 13.5 percent of all casualties. Twenty years passed before Vandegeers remains were identified and another five passed before his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. United States. They enjoyed roaring beer busts. for all 58,228 names to be read aloud. Eight women were killed in Vietnam, five Army lieutenants, one Army captain, one Army lieutenant colonel and one Air Force captain. No other moniker for Sammy Davis Jr. was more accurate. Vandegeers message also depicted a man who believed the worst was behind him. 1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam. Non-perishable items are archived in a storage facility. 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 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. 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. Perhaps more important, many of them probably did not yet fully understand their own mortality and were therefore less likely to be hesitant in combat. Army Center of Military History103 3rd AvenueFort Lesley J. McNair, DC 20319-5058Telephone: (202) 685-4042, NavyU.S. 1970 - ca. The Selective Service System remains in place today. information is available on this web site: These files are lists of the names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, listed The shining surface is intended to reflect the sun, the ground and those who stand before it. The first group, added in 1983, included 53 Marines who were killed when their R&R (rest and relaxation) flight crashed in Hong Kong. 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. 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. Yet, a civilian heroine who served in a different capacity during that difficult time also merits particular acknowledgment. They often reveal a typically warm American family atmosphere. Buis can be found at the top middle of a slab designated Panel 1E. The Vietnam War is no different. Some have tried for years before receiving approval from DoD. Getting to Washington, D.C. There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Vietnam Wall. VVMF does not have the authority to overrule those who adjudicate these matters. This index includes those who died or who were declared dead from 1950 to 1957 in Korea and from 1957 to 1975 in Southeast Asia. An estimated 11,000 women served in Vietnam. The Names - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund The Names When the Wall was dedicated in 1982, there were 57,939 names inscribed. 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. as the names on the Wall. There are 58,267 names now listed on Vietnam Wall, including those added in 2010. And, as in every American war, it is the very young who are the most willing to volunteer. Its now one of the most popular memorials in Washington. There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall. Gather facts from sources at home,and talk to relatives. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on November 10, 1982, with 57,939 names. And they often show a heartbreakingly wry sense of humor with the same sensibilities as their college-bound peers. Thats a tragic 2,415 more names on the Vietnam Wall in a single month. The draft policy at the time of the Vietnam War was called the Universal Military Training and Service Act. This uneven impact was caused by a number of factors: (1) While the South was home to some 53 percent of all blacks in the 1970 census, almost 60 percent of black casualties came from the South; (2) Although we cannot be as precise, we do know that a considerable majority of Hispanic-American casualties came from the West, (California, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado) and the South (Texas); (3) Better employment opportunities in the Northeast reduced the number of volunteers; (4) Greater college matriculation in the Northeast increased the number of status deferments for the regions 17- to 24- year olds; (5) More anti-war sentiment in the media and on college campuses in the Northeast. And there is an end. Full casualty records may be retrieved online through the National Archives' Access to Archival Databases resource. 3rd Battalion. These were Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and other Latino-Americans with ancestries based in Central and South America. 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. the requirements were expanded (by. 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. . And they all went to Vietnam. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. These names are followed by the inscription: Our nation honors the courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty and country of its Vietnam veterans. They refer to older or younger siblings who are either in or on their way to college. 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. Dear Mr. Huddleston, Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! Almost 50 percent were majors, lieutenant-colonels, colonels and three were generals. In high school, he joined ROTC and kept his fathers medals pinned next to his own awards on a piece of crimson cloth. Dates of enlsitment or selective service registration will be helpful along with the name military units they served with. 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. 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. Count down from the top of the panel. 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. U.S. Army Personnel and Dependent Casualties, 1961-1981 85% of the records in this database are related to the Vietnam Conflict. The appearance of DoD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. Of the 8000 Coast guardsmen who served in Vietnam, 3 officers and 4 enlisted men were killed and 59 were wounded. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for all who wish to visit. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 The Wall is about names. Others think it is just another tourist stop until they feel the haunting power of this unique work of remembrance. Since then, 379 names have been added, for a total of 58,318 (as of Memorial Day 2017). 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. This page has been viewed 167,336 times (0 via redirect). This year, 14 names were etched into the wall. Nursing the wounded. 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. Folded American flags were presented to his parents and an Air Force helicopter flew over the ceremony. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. name within a given date. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. The Marines of Morenciled some of thebest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop. If the demographic is expanded to 17- to 21- years, then we find there were 83 percent of Marine enlisted casualties, and 65 percent of Army enlisted casualties. As the Vietnam War dragged on, Kurt tried twice to enlist. It is more notable, perhaps, only because his was the first name engraved into The Wall. 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. West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. They seem honored to be putting the names on the Wall.. The USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD). Forces in Southeast Asia, 1950 - 1976 NAID 745, RG, 472, Meritorious Unit Commendations, 1967 - 1971 NAID 4726287, Medal of Honor Awards Case Files, 1965 - ca. We were one giant Hollywood B-17 bomber crew, one perfect socioeconomic platoon storming Omaha Beach or Okinawa. Its unlikely that anyone who visits the memorial on a given day would have the time, the heart or the stomach to read and consider each one. They drew on every segment of American society. 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. Some common names appear on the Memorial more than once. In civilian life, poor aptitude testing can have a tremendous negative impact, whether for college placement or for simple job advancement. 26 Similar Questions Doubek contacted the National Personnel Records Center, Archives and Records Service, in St. Louis, Mo. This is close to, but not exactly in the same order as the names on the Wall. Frequently relatives or buddies of casualties This is the most accurate database online. 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. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. All other individual draftee files from that period were destroyed by the Selective Service System in 1978, in accordance with approved records retention schedules. The numbers on the wall ascend from the center out toward the left and right extremes. In the military it can be somewhat more deadly. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. This video can help you find the name of someone you'd like to honor. A more precise equation would be that the college bound stayed home while the non-college bound served and died. LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the fourth anniversary of President John F. Kennedys assassination. 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.