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 first group, added in 1983, included 53 Marines who were killed when their R&R (rest and relaxation) flight crashed in Hong Kong. On the other end of that phone call was an former Air Force officer who had served in Vietnam. Our combat arms were thought to be completely classless. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for all who wish to visit. Except for the last file, there are approximately 10,000 names per file. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. 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. Derek Turner is a freelance writer and a former senior editor of On Patrol. It is forgotten now, but in the beginning Congress and most of the American people were behind our containment effort in Vietnam. Names that become eligible for inclusion are added once each year, in May, a few weeks before Memorial Day. 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. The casual visitor might not immediately recognize that Buis name is the first. 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. They seem honored to be putting the names on the Wall.. We honor and remember their sacrifice.". Thus we can see that the channeling philosophy continued within the armed forces. If a service member were to return alive, a circlethe symbol of lifewould be inscribed around the plus sign. No other moniker for Sammy Davis Jr. was more accurate. He would become instrumental in helping Doubek identify names and check spellings. There are over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. These names are followed by the inscription: Our nation honors the courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty and country of its Vietnam veterans. offer to read the block of names that includes their special names. 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. Click to learn about the In Memory program . 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. 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. Nor did America recognize, on July 8, 1959the day he was killedthat another long and bloody war lay in wait. In an effort to further preserve the legacy of those who sacrificed all in Vietnam, VVMF is committed to finding a photo to go with each of the more than 58,000 names on The Wall. Jimmy died less than 24 hours later on Thanksgiving Day. The names of Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand and Major Dale Buis are inscribed on Panel 1E of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. 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. However, if officer casualties are added to the total, then this overrepresentation is reduced to 12.5 percent of all casualties. The civilian and military men who formed the policy did not see it necessarily as a disadvantage. Lower end category IVs consisting of those who scored below 20 on the AFQT were usually rejected for service. 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.. Charles Holley; chief editor, Robert J. Martin, 4th Infantry Division. Who were they? The war is complete, coming full circle, yet broken by the earth that bounds the angles open side and contained within the earth itself. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. 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. The panels come together to form a point, linking the first and last together in enduring tribute. The popularity of the GI Bill after Vietnam emphasized this yearning. 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. There are the tourists who make the circuit of all the various monuments and landmarks in our nations capital. 26 Similar Questions Those designated by a plus sign were considered to be missing in action when the war ended. The training for American officers is thought by most foreign military authorities to be the best in the world. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Many of the 17- and 18-year olds were simply late in maturing. 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. LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the fourth anniversary of President John F. Kennedys assassination. In the military it can be somewhat more deadly. Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons. 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. . 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. The numbers on the wall ascend from the center out toward the left and right extremes. The unit diary portion of the muster roll should indicate when members of the Lima Company, 3rd platoon. Interested in a tour as part of your visit? There are officially 58,228 names on the Wall, but the database these files were derived . 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). to open, search, edit, or print the name files. He tried to make the best call he could when adding names to the list. Bennett on March 25, 1968 and Dennis on August 02, 1970 Brothers Gabriel and Paul Trujillo were both killed in Vietnam. This came at a time when blacks made up 11 percent of the male population nationwide. While VVMF finances the name additions to the Wall, it is the Department of Defense that makes these difficult and often technical decisions. 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. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. Look for discharge papers, pictures, medals,etc. 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. | 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. The Names - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund The Names When the Wall was dedicated in 1982, there were 57,939 names inscribed. 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. 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. Along with its wave of death, it scarred many people, especially those closest to the men that died fighting the . The panels are numbered beginning from the center out toward the ends of each wall. Kurt became the man of the house, even as a boy. 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. Individual Award Case Files, 1969 - 1970. The result: no comprehensive master list of Vietnam War casualties existed. Much more detailed There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Vietnam Wall. The affected record collections are described below. Please say a prayer for our fallen heroes, their family members, and our hero Vietnam War Veterans during your visit. There is some truth to this, but it is instructive to look at what the DOD database reveals in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, religious preference and casualties by U.S. geographic areas. The 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. All were nurses, all were single and all but one were in their 20s. 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. 5th Marines were killed in . Dear Mr. Huddleston, Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! His name does not appear at either far end. I mean, it was bad.. The USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD). 997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam. The directory can be purchased on the VVMF store. 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. 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. No single persons service or sacrifice would be any greater than anyone elses. 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. West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. As a result, the software improperly truncated or abbreviated names. 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. Look for clues about where he or she lived and served. He did it allsing, dance, create music and crack wise. Twenty years passed before Vandegeers remains were identified and another five passed before his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. information is available on this web site: These files are lists of the names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, listed 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 . All other individual draftee files from that period were destroyed by the Selective Service System in 1978, in accordance with approved records retention schedules. 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 stands near Panel 1W, which holds the name of the last to die in combat. Blacks were 85 percent Protestant. It is hard to believe it is 36 years since the last casualties. 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. 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. 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. They often reveal a typically warm American family atmosphere. 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. With this list in hand, he went to the various locations where individual service records were kept to review files. The article was originally published in the June 1993 issue of Vietnam Magazine and updated in November 2004. 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. 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. A.. B.. C.. D.. E.. F.. G.. H.. Several hundred such designation changes have been made since the Wall was built in 1982. Once additions are approved by DoD, VVMF receives the list of approved names, coordinates the inscribing and absorbs the costs. No other American war has presented such a young profile in combat. They drew on every segment of American society. Many others joined the reserves or National Guard, which were not mobilized in any appreciable numbers during the war. Non-perishable items are archived in a storage facility. Almost 50 percent were majors, lieutenant-colonels, colonels and three were generals. Note that the files are large, and are in Rich Text Format (RTF), with two Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics, Korean War and Vietnam War casualties listed at the National Archives, Hospital Admission Card Files, ca. Every day, Americas service members selflessly put their lives on the line to keep us safe and free. By his estimate, he helped pull out close to 2,000 people. Once download The ship had been taken to the island of Koh Tang. 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. In some instances, names needed to be shuffled in order to fit on a line. Vietnam War, Awards and Decorations of Honor, 1965-1972. It may come as a surprise to some that 63.3 percent of all Vietnam enlisted casualties were not draftees but volunteers. This page was last edited on 12 December 2022, at 18:28. The beginnings and endings are often hazy and the facts of the story lie at the mercy of the teller. Eight women were killed in Vietnam, five Army lieutenants, one Army captain, one Army lieutenant colonel and one Air Force captain. 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. compiled by Military Records and Research Library, Department of Military Affairs; edited by Julia D. Rather and Jeffrey Michael Duff, Research Our Records. Kurt Buis was 8 years old the day his father died. Naval Academy, 130; Texas A & M, 112; The Citadel, 66; Virginia Military Institute, 43; Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 26; Norwich University, 19. 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. These were Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and other Latino-Americans with ancestries based in Central and South America. Another challenge was ensuring the accuracy of the names. The casualty date is the date the person was killed or wounded in combat or injured during an accident; for the missing, the date is when the person was reported missing. They enjoyed roaring beer busts. 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. Text STOP to opt out, HELP for help. 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. The lists are based on the "home of record - state" data provided by the serviceman or woman upon last entrance into military service. The figures show that on average 65 percent of white enlisted men and 60 percent of black enlisted men were high school graduates. 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. It forces us to the conclusion that many of those names on the wall were kids who just couldnt quite get it together in high school, a little late in maturing intellectually, and didnt have the resources or the guile to get out of the way when the war came.