A doctor arrived and gave his shaken mother a sedative. The Wall is about names. 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. Vietnam War: in Country, Notice: Scanning of Vietnam-era Deck Logs, Vietnam War, 1961-1975. 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. This takes about 72 hours. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Learn about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in this brief introductory video. All other individual draftee files from that period were destroyed by the Selective Service System in 1978, in accordance with approved records retention schedules. 12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old. The names would become the memorial. West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. that each name was a real person. By his estimate, he helped pull out close to 2,000 people. 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 names of those who gave their lives and of those who remain missing are inscribed in the order they were taken from us. ".for those who have died." 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. The first group, added in 1983, included 53 Marines who were killed when their R&R (rest and relaxation) flight crashed in Hong Kong. Tom was killed while assaulting the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl HarborDay. The DOD database shows that of the 2,100,000 men and women who served in Vietnam, 58,152 were killed. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 This year, 14 names were etched into the wall. There were 667; How many Andersons?, 178; Garcias?, 102; Murphys?, 82; Jenkins?, 66; One wants to know more about these Americans. in chronological order of the casualty date and then alphabetical by last 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. The article was written by Bill Abbott, an independent researcher and writer. 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. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. The Selective Service registration requirement was later suspended in April 1975. Folded American flags were presented to his parents and an Air Force helicopter flew over the ceremony. Each name is listed with great honor and respect. They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. 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. The chronological order allows veterans who were in a battle to see their friends forever united on the Wall, he explained. Locate the corresponding panel at the Memorial. Thus, there were 211,455 killed and wounded, or one in every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam. Those designated by a plus sign were considered to be missing in action when the war ended. The first two names listed on Panel 1, East Wall, at the apex are from July 8, 1959. The Marines of Morenciled some of thebest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop. the reader loses composure. 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 Marine Corps losses were skewed even more to the lower ranks, 91 percent were privates or corporals. On the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in Washington, D.C., a special plaque reads: "In Memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. No other American war has presented such a young profile in combat. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. 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. 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. There are over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. 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 . site, for searching with a word processor. Her name? The Selective Service System remains in place today. The Vietnam Wall. However, if officer casualties are added to the total, then this overrepresentation is reduced to 12.5 percent of all casualties. Database of the 58,195 Names on The Wall in Wash,D.C. The result: no comprehensive master list of Vietnam War casualties existed. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. More Info At www.themovingwall.org Visit site 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. while they download, thank you. We were one giant Hollywood B-17 bomber crew, one perfect socioeconomic platoon storming Omaha Beach or Okinawa. but will allow you to download it after you specify a file name. columns per page. 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. 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. Once download And mores the pity, because many of them were trying to escape this background and didnt make it. During the Vietnam War, the Navy and Air Force became substantially white enclaves enlisted and officer casualties were 96 percent white. Eight women were killed in Vietnam, five Army lieutenants, one Army captain, one Army lieutenant colonel and one Air Force captain. How many Smiths can there possibly be who died in Vietnam? This is the genius of Mayas design, said Scruggs. They enjoyed roaring beer busts. By and large, with the exception of the officer corps, most of the college bound and educated skipped the Vietnam War at the urging of, and with the approval of, their own government. The burden of combat fell on the very available non-college-bound young. 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. John Kennedy, discussing military assignments, said that, life is unfair. LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the fourth anniversary of President John F. Kennedys assassination. Scholars debate about when the war really began and in many ways it has never ended. You must refer to a database, which gives the names in alphabetical order and includes the position of each on the Memorial. 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. Twenty years passed before Vandegeers remains were identified and another five passed before his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. The Navy fatalities were 2,556 or 2 percent. A.. B.. C.. D.. E.. F.. G.. H.. In many of these families it was considered unpatriotic and indeed reprehensible to avoid active duty by requesting a status deferment or seeking out a draft counselor for advice on how to avoid the draft. Many of them, as experienced pilots, were older (two thirds were thirty or older) and many were high ranking. peruse. Of 2,590 total Air Force casualties, 1,674 or 65 percent were officers. They refer to older or younger siblings who are either in or on their way to college. 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. 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. Our combat arms were thought to be completely classless. This is close to, but not exactly in the same order as the names on the Wall. All heroes are listed alphabetically by their last name. They lived only a few yards apart. The memorial is free and open to the public 24 hours a day, with rangers on duty to answer questions from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. 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 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. With this list in hand, he went to the various locations where individual service records were kept to review files. 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. Names that become eligible for inclusion are added once each year, in May, a few weeks before Memorial Day. 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. Doubek contacted the National Personnel Records Center, Archives and Records Service, in St. Louis, Mo. 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. The index gives birth and death dates, country of death, cause of death (air, ground, or sea), town and state of residence at time of enlistment, race, religious affiliation, marital status, service number, rank, and branch of service. 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. 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. offer to read the block of names that includes their special names. 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. Nor did America recognize, on July 8, 1959the day he was killedthat another long and bloody war lay in wait. Non-Archival records are those of service members who separated from the military less than 62 years ago. Concerning, How do I find a name on the Vietnam War Memorial wall? 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.. 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. Postscript: Since 1982, there have been 89 names added to The Wall. 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. In 2004, the total is 58,241 names. Therefore, a complete listing of the records that were lost is not available. Please take a moment to let our troops know how much we appreciate their service and sacrifice. Where previously a high school diploma had been an acceptable goal, now it was college and all the benefits it would bring. For men who registered for the draft prior to 1976, the only Selective Service System information available is that of the individual Draft Registration Card (SSS Form 1) and Classification History (SSS Form 102) records. These were Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and other Latino-Americans with ancestries based in Central and South America. Count down from the top of the panel. 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. There are officially 58,228 names on the Wall, but the database these files were derived . Others, later in the war, were simply ineligible because of high lottery number. 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. NAVY AND AIR FORCE OFFICER CASUALTIES BY RANK AND AGE. Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics, Korean War and Vietnam War casualties listed at the National Archives, Hospital Admission Card Files, ca. Those who could have qualified for college probably did not have the funds or motivation. Who were they? prepared by Frances A. Hortsch for the Phoenix Genealogical Society. 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. W denotes the west wall, and E denotes the east wall. Note that the files are large, and are in Rich Text Format (RTF), with two The event begins on November 7, 2022 at 3 p.m. EST and ends at midnight on November 10, 2022. 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. Black leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., protested, and President Johnson ordered black participation in combat units cut back. Once a master list was compiled, the names were checked manually for errors. The officer corps casualties alone would satisfy that judgment, but that is not the same as being representative. 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 There are students on field trips, some solemn and curious, but some just happy to get out of class. On the other end of that phone call was an former Air Force officer who had served in Vietnam. While VVMF finances the name additions to the Wall, it is the Department of Defense that makes these difficult and often technical decisions. The figures show that on average 65 percent of white enlisted men and 60 percent of black enlisted men were high school graduates. The names of those who gave their lives and of those who remain missing are inscribed in the order they were taken from us. I mean, it was bad.. Search the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s database of names on the wall. The directories are organized alphabetically by last name. Most of the young American enlisted men who served in Vietnam were not college prospects at the time they entered the service. Photo credit DOD photo. The civilian and military men who formed the policy did not see it necessarily as a disadvantage. The VC had commandeered Air America Hueys, and they were flying them around, which simply made for a very interesting chess game. Written requests should be mailed to: National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100. It is instructive to read the literature of the war, the letters written home from those who died, the novels and narrative accounts of those who served in combat and then returned. The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 245 deaths. Getting to Washington, D.C. Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Kansas, Sheridan County, Viet Nam records, 1955-1975, Vermont, National Guard, Vietnam war, 1950-1953, University of Utah - American West Center - Saving the Legacy/ Vietnam Veterans, https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=United_States_Vietnam_War_1964_to_1972&oldid=5123794, Personnel discharged November 1, 1912 to January 1, 1960, Personnel discharged, September 25, 1947 to January 1, 1964, The Military Index is available at the FamilySearch Library and at most FamilySearch centers. Note the panel and line number for the name listed. And in the patriotic camaraderie typical of Morencis mining families, the nine graduates of Morenci High enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps. 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 have two columns per page, rather than only one column. Senate. The draft continued from 1948, during both peacetime and war, to 1973, when President Richard M. Nixon signed legislation officially ending the draft. Message & data rates may apply. Yet, a civilian heroine who served in a different capacity during that difficult time also merits particular acknowledgment. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. 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. If a name was particularly long, it would be swapped with a shorter name. No duplicate copies of the records that were destroyed in the fire were maintained, nor was a microfilm copy ever produced. If the veteran is still alive, ask his or her help finding records. On November 7, 2021 VVMF began a daily virtual Reading of the Names. do this, be sure to have an alternate reader assigned to take over in case Photo credit DOD photo by Army Sgt. He tried to make the best call he could when adding names to the list. 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. A diamond symbol signifies that the service members death was confirmed. Dates of enlsitment or selective service registration will be helpful along with the name military units they served with. The shining surface is intended to reflect the sun, the ground and those who stand before it. 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. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 Individual Award Case Files, 1969 - 1970. Fill out the tour request form. Full casualty records may be retrieved online through the National Archives' Access to Archival Databases resource. Indeed, officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. 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. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. A correspondingly greater tradition of military service in the other regions had its effect on U.S. regional casualties. 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. Most of these casualties are documented in the Military Index, a FamilySearch file. Since then, 379 names have been added, for a total of 58,318 (as of Memorial Day 2017). 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. They came largely from California and Texas, with lesser numbers from Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Florida, New York and a few from many other states across the country. Since its controversial beginnings, feelings toward the Vietnam Veterans Memorial have changed drastically. U.S. Army Personnel and Dependent Casualties, 1961-1981 85% of the records in this database are related to the Vietnam Conflict. For blacks, however, only 7 percent placed in categories I and II and 93 percent placed in categories III and IV. Adding to the problem was Project 100,000. In the event a service members remains are returned or accounted for, then a diamond symbol is engraved over the plus sign. If officers are added, then almost 70 percent of those who died were volunteers. As one walks the Wall slowly, examining the ineffably American names, one is struck by the same recurring surnames. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. Others think it is just another tourist stop until they feel the haunting power of this unique work of remembrance. Military Reunions, Screensavers, Rubbings, Personal Guestbook for all Names. And they are so respectful when they do the engraving. 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. 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. 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. There are 58,267 names now listed on Vietnam Wall, including those added in 2010. Buis was in Vietnam by his own volition. since it was dedicated because additional casualty records were found and 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. On the stencil printouts, each line contained five names per row. Of the 7,262 blacks who died, 6,955, or 96 percent, were Army and Marine enlisted men. How to Order a Draft Record. To put a circle around the symbol beside their names would not provide the correct historical context related to their situation. 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. On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the NPRC destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files. 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. 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). 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. Another challenge was ensuring the accuracy of the names. The panel numbers are inscribed at the bottom of each panel. for all 58,228 names to be read aloud. About 58 thousand of the 7 million American service men and women who served in Vietnam died. 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. The panels are numbered beginning from the center out toward the ends of each wall. He did it allsing, dance, create music and crack wise. Kurt Buis was 8 years old the day his father died. Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons. VVMF does not have the authority to overrule those who adjudicate these matters. Nevertheless, 336,111 men were phased into the service under this plan (mostly the Army) and 2,072 were killed. Fallen comrades could be together on the Wall, as theyd been in death. 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. Army Center of Military History103 3rd AvenueFort Lesley J. McNair, DC 20319-5058Telephone: (202) 685-4042, NavyU.S.