A new Department of Defense (DOD) database computer tape released through the National Archives allows researchers to take a much closer look at our 58,152 Vietnam casualties. There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall. Lins intention from the beginning was to have the names appear chronologically, beginning and ending at the apex. 31 sets of brothers are on the Wall. 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. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the fourth anniversary of President John F. Kennedys assassination. Written requests should be mailed to: National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100. This approach would allow veterans, friends and family members to find a loved one by his or her date of casualty. About 58 thousand of the 7 million American service men and women who served in Vietnam died. W denotes the west wall, and E denotes the east wall. With this list in hand, he went to the various locations where individual service records were kept to review files. Download our app to find events, locations and programs near you. 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. From 1964 to 1973, 2,100,000 men and women served in Vietnam, but this was only 8 percent of the 26,000,000 Americans who were eligible for military service. Of all enlisted men who died in Vietnam, blacks made up 14.1 percent of the total. Each name is listed with great honor and respect. columns per page. This year, 14 names were etched into the wall. Beginning Research in United States Military Records, National Vietnam War Veterans Day - Wikepedia, National Park Service Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The draft continued from 1948, during both peacetime and war, to 1973, when President Richard M. Nixon signed legislation officially ending the draft. If a name was particularly long, it would be swapped with a shorter name. while they download, thank you. We worked very hard with volunteers from the Gold Star Mothers, recalled Doubek. And, as in every American war, it is the very young who are the most willing to volunteer. 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. Interested in a tour as part of your visit? since it was dedicated because additional casualty records were found and (Surprisingly, as it turned out, the percentage of Vietnam veterans who applied for the GI Bill was higher than either World War II or Korea. 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. Richard Sandza received the message on the morning of May 15, 1975, the day his friend became the last American to die in combat during the Vietnam War. On the last day of his life, in the moments before our nations history changed forever, Dale Buis was sitting around a rec center watching a movie called The Tattered Dress, starring Jeff Chandler. I.. J.. K.. L.. M. N.. O.. P.. Q.. R.. S.. T.. U.. V.. W.. X.. Y.. Z 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. Others think it is just another tourist stop until they feel the haunting power of this unique work of remembrance. Proving a direct correlation to the injuries is a challenge, Pontes explained. 5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old. 5th Marines were killed in . The largest age group, 8,283 were just 19 years old. 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. Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons. 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. We were one giant Hollywood B-17 bomber crew, one perfect socioeconomic platoon storming Omaha Beach or Okinawa. 1972 NAID 305367, Silver Star Medal and Legion of Merit Award Case Files, 19711971 NAID 5721359. Although the names are not listed alphabetically, it is not difficult for visitors to find a name on the Memorial. The central idea of the poem is that the Vietnamese War took hundreds of lives away from the United States of America. You may print these files and have the pages available for visitors to The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. 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. Nor did America recognize, on July 8, 1959the day he was killedthat another long and bloody war lay in wait. And they often show a heartbreakingly wry sense of humor with the same sensibilities as their college-bound peers. Protestants were 64.4 percent (37,483), Catholics were 28.9 percent (16,806). The first two names listed on Panel 1, East Wall, at the apex are from July 8, 1959. Note that the files are large, and are in Rich Text Format (RTF), with two On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the NPRC destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files. The beginnings and endings are often hazy and the facts of the story lie at the mercy of the teller. Their sacrifices were honored July 8, 2009, in Washington during a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of their deaths. 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. Items are gathered by park staff. Gather facts from sources at home,and talk to relatives. I went through the whole list of names eight times, because I was concerned about the correct formatting, remembered Doubek. Eight women were killed in Vietnam, five Army lieutenants, one Army captain, one Army lieutenant colonel and one Air Force captain. Though 13 were rescued at sea, the rest died, either upon impact or soon after. 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. 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 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. 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. During the Vietnam War, the Navy and Air Force became substantially white enclaves enlisted and officer casualties were 96 percent white. 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 Once a master list was compiled, the names were checked manually for errors. This video can help you find the name of someone you'd like to honor. In civilian life, poor aptitude testing can have a tremendous negative impact, whether for college placement or for simple job advancement. But after World War II a kind of educational apartheid had settled over the United States. Fill out the tour request form. And in the patriotic camaraderie typical of Morencis mining families, the nine graduates of Morenci High enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps. Kurt became the man of the house, even as a boy. "Walking through this park-like area, the memorial appears as a rift in the earth, a long, polished, black stone wall, emerging from and receding into the earth. Buis can be found at the top middle of a slab designated Panel 1E. peruse. Millions more come to experience this Memorial each year. 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. Instead its nearly in the center. 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. If each I could tell you about how real the fear was that I felt, since from the time we crossed the Delta and made the run into Saigon, we were over enemy territory. 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. During and after the Vietnam War, the Department of Defense (DoD) compiled a list of combat zone casualties according to criteria in a 1965 Presidential Executive Order. One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old. Though blessed with talent, his life wasnt without struggles. Alphabetical listing of the names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall . 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 Marine Corps lost 14,836, or 5 percent of its own men. Many of the 17- and 18-year olds were simply late in maturing. West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. When the sound of exploding hand grenades rang out in the hall, Buis and others ran toward the sound. The Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) was given to all entering enlisted men. The names of Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand and Major Dale Buis are inscribed on Panel 1E of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. The war is complete, coming full circle, yet broken by the earth that bounds the angles open side and contained within the earth itself. 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. 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. Count down from the top of the panel. Unfortunately, he mistakenly added a small number of names of men who were still alive. This is close to, but not exactly in the same order as the names on the Wall. prepared by Frances A. Hortsch for the Phoenix Genealogical Society. The individual Draft Registration Card (SSS Form 1) may contain information such as: name, Selective Service registration number, age, date and place of birth, ethnicity, place of residence at time of registration and basic physical description. Of the 7,262 blacks who died, 6,955, or 96 percent, were Army and Marine enlisted men. It ripped men from their loved ones, family, friends, and it left a wave of death in its path. This page was last edited on 12 December 2022, at 18:28. This was long before the advent of integrated computer databases. The directories are organized alphabetically by last name. Non-perishable items are archived in a storage facility. An estimated 11,000 women served in Vietnam. The USO relies on your support to help service members and their families. site, for searching with a word processor. All classes were drafted or volunteered and all served and died equally, although it must be noted that most blacks died separately. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. You could also keep these files on a computer at your The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. Please be patient The names would become 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 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. Lins vision prevailed. Database of the 58,195 Names on The Wall in Wash,D.C. as the names on the Wall. The Selective Service registration requirement was later suspended in April 1975. 1970 - ca. 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. There were 667; How many Andersons?, 178; Garcias?, 102; Murphys?, 82; Jenkins?, 66; One wants to know more about these Americans. Inscription at the beginning of The Wall. What happens to items left at the memorial? Coast Guard casualties are included in the Navy totals. 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 Marines of Morenciled some of thebest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop.