alphabetical list of names on the vietnam wall alphabetical list of names on the vietnam wall

Beginning at the apex on panel 1E and going out to the end of the East wall, appearing to recede into the earth (numbered 70E May 25, 1968), then resuming at the end of the West wall, as the wall emerges from the earth (numbered 70W continuing May 25, 1968) and ending with a date in 1975. You may print these files and have the pages available for visitors to 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. And they often show a heartbreakingly wry sense of humor with the same sensibilities as their college-bound peers. Where previously a high school diploma had been an acceptable goal, now it was college and all the benefits it would bring. You could also keep these files on a computer at your How many women soldiers died in the Vietnam War? 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. This is the genius of Mayas design, said Scruggs. This memorial was built with private contributions from the American people. Others think it is just another tourist stop until they feel the haunting power of this unique work of remembrance. Their sons, if not college material, made up a significant part of the volunteers and draftees. columns per page. person reads for 20 minutes, (270 names) this will require 216 volunteer name the person they know. Ninety-one percent of these Army officers were warrant officers, second lieutenants, first lieutenants or captains. The remaining 70 percent of our Vietnam enlisted casualties were of English/Scottish/Welsh, German, Irish and Scandinavian-American ancestries, more from the South and Midwest than the other regions, many from small towns with a family military tradition. Library of Congress, National Archives Reference Information Page 90 A Finding Aid to Records Relating to American Prisoners of War and Missing in Action from the Vietnam War Era, 1960-1994, Records on Military Personnel Who Died, Were Missing in Action or Prisoners of War as a Result of the Vietnam War, Missing Vietnam Military Resulting from Hostile Forces, Missing Vietnam Military NOT Resulting from Hostile Forces, Vietnam War, Awards and Decorations of Honor, 1965-1972, Medal of Honor Awards Case Files, 1965 - ca. There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall. This amounted to 4.1 percent of all enlisted casualties in Vietnam. Gather facts from sources at home,and talk to relatives. ARMY AND MARINE OFFICER CASUALTIES BY RANK AND AGE. 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. Non-perishable items are archived in a storage facility. 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. Since its controversial beginnings, feelings toward the Vietnam Veterans Memorial have changed drastically. 8 Women are on the Wall. 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. For families who have worked to have their loved ones name added, the journey can be long and exhausting. 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. effort, but is a very effective means to express the enormity of the war and Note the panel and line number for the name listed. 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. All heroes are listed alphabetically by their last name. He tried to make the best call he could when adding names to the list. The largest age group, 8,283 were just 19 years old. Protestants were 64.4 percent (37,483), Catholics were 28.9 percent (16,806). They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Vietnam Magazine today! 1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. There are 58,267 names now listed on Vietnam Wall, including those added in 2010. Family members are invited to witness the inscription and also to attend the annual Memorial Day ceremony when the new names are read at the Wall. Army Major Dale Buis name is etched into the granite half an inch tall, no bigger or smaller than any of the others. The Wall USA is a non-profit endeavor maintained by veterans . The casual visitor might not immediately recognize that Buis name is the first. 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. What happens to items left at the memorial? A relatively small number refused to register for the draft at all. The shining surface is intended to reflect the sun, the ground and those who stand before it. Many of the 17- and 18-year olds were simply late in maturing. November 11, 1982. 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. 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. The first group, added in 1983, included 53 Marines who were killed when their R&R (rest and relaxation) flight crashed in Hong Kong. It may come as a surprise to some that 63.3 percent of all Vietnam enlisted casualties were not draftees but volunteers. NAVY AND AIR FORCE OFFICER CASUALTIES BY RANK AND AGE. It is hard to believe it has been 36 years since the last casualties. The Marines of Morenciled some of thebest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop. The DOD percentages reveal that nearly 75 percent of Army enlisted casualties were privates or corporals. The list of names begins at the vertex of the walls below the date of the first casualty, 1959, and continues to the end of the east wall. information is available on this web site: These files are lists of the names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, listed 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. When the Wall was dedicated in 1982, there were 57,939 names inscribed. Buis died, as did Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand, whose name is second on the wall. Army and Marine officer casualties were also quite young. 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. For a photograph of an inscription of a close friend or relative, write: This website requires a paid subscription for full access. How many Smiths can there possibly be who died in Vietnam? 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. In honor of the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in the Vietnam War. It should be emphasized that 55 percent of all Navy and Air Force officer casualties came as a result of reconnaissance and bombing sorties into North Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. Count down from the top of the panel. 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. The USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD). At the time, approximately 1,300 names were designated as servicemen who were either missing or prisoners of war. The resulting aptitude scores were used to classify entrants into four categories and this would, for the most part, determine their subsequent assignments. 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. 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. Of the 8000 Coast guardsmen who served in Vietnam, 3 officers and 4 enlisted men were killed and 59 were wounded. More Info At www.themovingwall.org Visit site Most of the young American enlisted men who served in Vietnam were not college prospects at the time they entered the service. I went through the whole list of names eight times, because I was concerned about the correct formatting, remembered Doubek. There are the tourists who make the circuit of all the various monuments and landmarks in our nations capital. With the glitch discovered, Doubek and his team located and hand-corrected each error. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. the requirements were expanded (by. The draft continued from 1948, during both peacetime and war, to 1973, when President Richard M. Nixon signed legislation officially ending the draft. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons. It is hard to believe it has been 36 years since the last casualties. As they came through the door, Viet Cong guerrillas opened fire with machine guns. On November 7, 2021 VVMF began a daily virtual Reading of the Names. 3rd Battalion. Those who could have qualified for college probably did not have the funds or motivation. 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. However, if officer casualties are added to the total, then this overrepresentation is reduced to 12.5 percent of all casualties. Some are drawn to the Wall like pilgrims to Mecca. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. The Vietnam Wall at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park features the names of local fallen soldiers. Congress and the Johnson administration, therefore, sought to protect our college-bound and educated young men. Getting to Washington, D.C. The first two names listed on Panel 1, East Wall, at the apex are from July 8, 1959. 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. In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all three would be killed. Army Center of Military History103 3rd AvenueFort Lesley J. McNair, DC 20319-5058Telephone: (202) 685-4042, NavyU.S. 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. National Mall and Memorial Parks , Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. 1972 NAID 305367, Silver Star Medal and Legion of Merit Award Case Files, 19711971 NAID 5721359. If a name was particularly long, it would be swapped with a shorter name. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall USA website is dedicated to honoring those who died in the Vietnam War. She wanted the names to tell the journey, or the timeline, of the war. There was no need to embellish. 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. The officer corps casualties alone would satisfy that judgment, but that is not the same as being representative. The draft policy at the time of the Vietnam War was called the Universal Military Training and Service Act. Yet, a civilian heroine who served in a different capacity during that difficult time also merits particular acknowledgment. The names of Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand and Major Dale Buis are inscribed on Panel 1E of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. And there is an end. The Classification History (SSS Form 102) may contain: name; date of birth; classification and date of mailing notice; date of appeal to the board; date and results of armed forces physical examination; entry into active duty or civilian work in lieu of induction (may include date, branch of service entered and mode of entry, such as enlisted or ordered); date of separation from active duty or civilian work; and general remarks. 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. 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. in chronological order of the casualty date and then alphabetical by last The directories are organized alphabetically by last name. It would also enable veterans to find groups of friends who died during the same incident. Indeed, officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. Vietnam War Casualties- Main Alphabetical Index www.VirtualWall.org Find A Name Information Memorial pages honoring Vietnam War casualties, listed by their last names. Another browser may inform you that it does not know how to display the file Except for the last file, there are approximately 10,000 names per file. 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. The popularity of the GI Bill after Vietnam emphasized this yearning. A.. B.. C.. D.. E.. F.. G.. H.. It should be noted, however, that the draft was specifically designed to trigger volunteer enlistments. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. 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 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. Inscribed dots in the margins of every other panel mark every 10 lines to aid in counting. Compounding these difficulties was the issue that many casualties, particularly from the Air Force, were not always straightforward in terms of locale. The Army as a branch had 134,982 killed or wounded (9.5 percent), but the Marines suffered 66,227 killed or wounded (22.5 percent) or almost one of every four Marines who served. Tom was killed while assaulting the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl HarborDay. Authority Record - NARA, Records of the U.S. During the Vietnam War, the Navy and Air Force became substantially white enclaves enlisted and officer casualties were 96 percent white. Proving a direct correlation to the injuries is a challenge, Pontes explained. The affected record collections are described below. It is more notable, perhaps, only because his was the first name engraved into The Wall. 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. They also died quickly, many within a few weeks or months of arriving in Vietnam. In addition, millions of documents had been lent to the Department of Veterans Affairs before the fire occurred. 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. If the veteran is still alive, ask his or her help finding records. How to Order a Draft Record. 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. He did it allsing, dance, create music and crack wise. Their names, however, have been removed from the printed Directory of Names. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. Chronological order by date of casualty allows friends and family members to pick out their loved one from all of the others with the same name. 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. As one walks the Wall slowly, examining the ineffably American names, one is struck by the same recurring surnames. As many as 3 million people visit each year, according to some estimates, and they come for probably as many reasons. The result: no comprehensive master list of Vietnam War casualties existed. There are 58,267 names now listed on Vietnam Wall, including those added in 2010. 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. No other American war has presented such a young profile in combat. Beside each name is a symbol that denotes a service members status: either missing or confirmed dead. Twenty years passed before Vandegeers remains were identified and another five passed before his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. Nursing the wounded. The very young were considered by many to be preferred combat material. 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. Doubek was tasked with identifying all of the names to be included on the Wall. . 39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger. No single persons service or sacrifice would be any greater than anyone elses. Her name? As a result, the black casualty rate was reduced to 11.5 percent by 1969. Army Major Dale Buis' name is etched into the granite half an inch tall, no bigger or smaller than any of the others. Marine Corps History Division2044 Broadway StreetQuantico, Virginia 22134Telephone: (703) 432-4877, Coast GuardU.S. Vietnam War, Awards and Decorations of Honor, 1965-1972. 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. Almost 50 percent were majors, lieutenant-colonels, colonels and three were generals. 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. Fallen comrades could be together on the Wall, as theyd been in death. site, for searching with a word processor. Look for discharge papers, pictures, medals,etc. 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. 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. Lower end category IVs consisting of those who scored below 20 on the AFQT were usually rejected for service. The numbers on the wall ascend from the center out toward the left and right extremes. An aunt came and loaded the three boys into the car. name within a given date. The article was originally published in the June 1993 issue of Vietnam Magazine and updated in November 2004. 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. 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 Army lost the greatest number of officers 4,635 or 59 percent of all officer casualties. Only 3 returned home. This video can help you find the name of someone you'd like to honor. Although the names are not listed alphabetically, it is not difficult for visitors to find a name on the Memorial. Locate the corresponding panel at the Memorial. Some common names appear on the Memorial more than once. The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. In civilian life, poor aptitude testing can have a tremendous negative impact, whether for college placement or for simple job advancement. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Another challenge was ensuring the accuracy of the names. 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. Blacks were 85 percent Protestant. Please be patient Thats a tragic 2,415 more names on the Vietnam Wall in a single month. What will be the evolving historical judgment for those names on the Wall? Though blessed with talent, his life wasnt without struggles. He accepted the tradition of military service passed on to him by the popular culture and by President John F. Kennedys ringing words, Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty. 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. There were no indexes created prior to the fire. 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 first known casualty was Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth, MA; he was listed by theDepartment of Defense as having been killed on June 8, 1956. 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. Once download For information regarding official military unit histories, contact: Air ForceU.S. 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. Written requests should be mailed to: National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis maintains Vietnam War Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF). One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old. On the west wall, the symbol precedes the name; on the east wall, the symbol follows the name. The lists are based on the "home of record - state" data provided by the serviceman or woman upon last entrance into military service. 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. 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. It ripped men from their loved ones, family, friends, and it left a wave of death in its path. Buis can be found at the top middle of a slab designated Panel 1E. Much more detailed . Non-Archival records are those of service members who separated from the military less than 62 years ago. Brothers Marlin and Norman Eversgerd were both killed in Vietnam. Patricia Krause. 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. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. 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. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 245 deaths. 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. The panel number is a number/letter combination, such as 10W or 35E. 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. Photo credit DOD photo by Army Sgt. The Marine Corps losses were skewed even more to the lower ranks, 91 percent were privates or corporals. Instead its nearly in the center. Doubek contacted the National Personnel Records Center, Archives and Records Service, in St. Louis, Mo. ".for those who have died." In the military it can be somewhat more deadly. Postscript: Since 1982, there have been 89 names added to The Wall. Senate. They lived only a few yards apart. In the event a service members remains are returned or accounted for, then a diamond symbol is engraved over the plus sign. Thus we can see that the channeling philosophy continued within the armed forces. Congress. Nevertheless, 336,111 men were phased into the service under this plan (mostly the Army) and 2,072 were killed. Several hundred such designation changes have been made since the Wall was built in 1982. 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. 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. All classes were drafted or volunteered and all served and died equally, although it must be noted that most blacks died separately. As one stands before the Wall one feels that no other judgment is acceptable to their living memory. The Wall of Faces allows family and friends to share memories, post pictures and connect with each other. John Kennedy, discussing military assignments, said that, life is unfair. They drew on every segment of American society. Folded American flags were presented to his parents and an Air Force helicopter flew over the ceremony. 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. Photo credit DOD photo. 1970 NAID 570973, State-Level Fatal Casualty Lists sorted Alphabetically by Last Name, List of United States servicemembers and civilians missing in action during the Vietnam War (196165) Wikipedia, U.S., Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Unaccounted-for Remains, Group A (Recoverable), 1941-1975, U.S., Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Unaccounted-for Remains, Group B (Unrecoverable), 1941-1975, Vietnamw-Era POW/MIA Databases & Documents.