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Those designated by a plus sign were considered to be missing in action when the war ended. "Home of record" does not necessarily refer to the place of birth, residence of next of kin, place of longest residence, nor other common uses of the term "hometown." About 58 thousand of the 7 million American service men and women who served in Vietnam died. 1970 - ca. As one walks the Wall slowly, examining the ineffably American names, one is struck by the same recurring surnames. The popularity of the GI Bill after Vietnam emphasized this yearning. The burden of combat fell on the very available non-college-bound young. 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. Some have tried for years before receiving approval from DoD. 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 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. I went through the whole list of names eight times, because I was concerned about the correct formatting, remembered Doubek. The major service academies and other military colleges provided close to 900 of the Vietnam officer casualties: the U.S. Military Academy, 278; the U.S. Air Force Academy, 205; the U.S. They drew on every segment of American society. "The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's registry enables veterans across the world to be able to locate fellow Vietnam Veterans and of course, connect their stories with those who made the ultimate sacrifice. 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. This was long before the advent of integrated computer databases. 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 we search for proper bookends to encapsulate the story of a generation at war, perhaps the best we can do is look at what is written in stone. 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. Eight women were killed in Vietnam, five Army lieutenants, one Army captain, one Army lieutenant colonel and one Air Force captain. The Army refused him, for medical reasons, both times. THE NAMES ON THE WALL: AN HISTORICAL JUDGMENT. On the stencil printouts, each line contained five names per row. 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. West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. Almost 50 percent were majors, lieutenant-colonels, colonels and three were generals. How many women soldiers died in the Vietnam War? Every day, Americas service members selflessly put their lives on the line to keep us safe and free. Indeed, officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. A correspondingly greater tradition of military service in the other regions had its effect on U.S. regional casualties. Why are names added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall? The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. 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. The Vietnam Wall. 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 . We worked very hard with volunteers from the Gold Star Mothers, recalled Doubek. At the time, approximately 1,300 names were designated as servicemen who were either missing or prisoners of war. If a name was particularly long, it would be swapped with a shorter name. 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. In a massive sampling of the database, it was established that between 5 and 6 percent of Vietnam dead had identifiable Hispanic surnames. offer to read the block of names that includes their special names. 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. 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. The names of those who gave their lives and of those who remain missing are inscribed in the order they were taken from us. On the other end of that phone call was an former Air Force officer who had served in Vietnam. NAVY AND AIR FORCE OFFICER CASUALTIES BY RANK AND AGE. Who were they? The Army lost the greatest number of officers 4,635 or 59 percent of all officer casualties. On November 7, 2021 VVMF began a daily virtual Reading of the Names. They also died quickly, many within a few weeks or months of arriving in Vietnam. More than 200 names have been added to the Wall 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. Another browser may inform you that it does not know how to display the file 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. The article was originally published in the June 1993 issue of Vietnam Magazine and updated in November 2004. This makeup, they say, was the very antithesis of what we stand for as a democracy a shameful corruption of our values and our historical sense of fairness and social justice. Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics, Korean War and Vietnam War casualties listed at the National Archives, Hospital Admission Card Files, ca. 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. Unfortunately, he mistakenly added a small number of names of men who were still alive. The Vietnam War was no different. 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. Photo credit DOD photo by Army Sgt. 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. . But there is a beginning. Click to learn about the In Memory program . 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. If your browser displays the text file, you can then use 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. Some common names appear on the Memorial more than once. Locate the line on which the name is inscribed. 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. 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. 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. In honor of the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in the Vietnam War. 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. The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 2,415 casualties were incurred. In 2004, the total is 58,241 names. while they download, thank you. Twenty years passed before Vandegeers remains were identified and another five passed before his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. If officers are added, then almost 70 percent of those who died were volunteers. Full casualty records may be retrieved online through the National Archives' Access to Archival Databases resource. 3rd Battalion. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. Vietnam War: in Country, Notice: Scanning of Vietnam-era Deck Logs, Vietnam War, 1961-1975. Doubek contacted the National Personnel Records Center, Archives and Records Service, in St. Louis, Mo. 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. This page has been viewed 167,336 times (0 via redirect). 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. Vietnam War Casualties, MIA and POWs. They lived only a few yards apart. But after World War II a kind of educational apartheid had settled over the United States. This came at a time when blacks made up 11 percent of the male population nationwide. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 54 soldiers on the Wall attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia. And mores the pity, because many of them were trying to escape this background and didnt make it. These names are followed by the inscription: Our nation honors the courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty and country of its Vietnam veterans. the "save as" menu command to store each text file on your media. This takes about 72 hours. 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 very young were considered by many to be preferred combat material. The first group, added in 1983, included 53 Marines who were killed when their R&R (rest and relaxation) flight crashed in Hong Kong. Coast Guard casualties are included in the Navy totals. They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field. 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 article was written by Bill Abbott, an independent researcher and writer. This is the most accurate database online. How many Smiths can there possibly be who died in Vietnam? More Info At www.themovingwall.org Visit site the requirements were expanded (by. Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons. In terms of national origin/ancestries, an extensive sampling of the data-base reveals that Americans of French Canadian, Polish, Italian and other Southern and Eastern European surnames made up about 10 percent of the Vietnam casualties. 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. A(1780 names - 239023 bytes) B(5502 names - 737972 bytes) C(4363 names - 586584 bytes) D(2790 names - 374290 bytes) E(1082 names - 144866 bytes) F(1979 names - 265759 bytes) G(3036 names - 407075 bytes) H(4463 names - 598834 bytes) I(218 names - 29278 bytes) J(1845 names - 247563 bytes) K(2039 names - 273818 bytes) L(2594 names - 347007 bytes) 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. Except for the last file, there are approximately 10,000 names per file. person reads for 20 minutes, (270 names) this will require 216 volunteer name A diamond symbol signifies that the service members death was confirmed. 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. Interested in a tour as part of your visit? 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. Locate the corresponding panel at the Memorial. No single persons service or sacrifice would be any greater than anyone elses. He tried to make the best call he could when adding names to the list. as the names on the Wall. It may come as a surprise to some that 63.3 percent of all Vietnam enlisted casualties were not draftees but volunteers. Making these arrangements and printing the pages takes considerable Look at the bottom of each panel on the wall for its number. Thus we can see that the channeling philosophy continued within the armed forces. 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. No duplicate copies of the records that were destroyed in the fire were maintained, nor was a microfilm copy ever produced. How many names are on the wall? 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. Quite a different profile emerges among the Navy and Air force officer corps. Many of the 17- and 18-year olds were simply late in maturing. This page was last edited on 12 December 2022, at 18:28. 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. 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. What the MIT study almost certainly showed was that members of the so-called working class consisting of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, firemen, policemen, technicians, skilled factory operatives, farmers, etc., were living in middle class communities and were, therefore, part of our burgeoning middle class. 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. There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Vietnam Wall. The draft policy at the time of the Vietnam War was called the Universal Military Training and Service Act. Today, more than 58,000 names are engraved in the wall, and more were added in May. Officer casualties in Vietnam, including warrant officers, numbered 7,874, or 13.5 percent of all casualties. The resulting aptitude scores were used to classify entrants into four categories and this would, for the most part, determine their subsequent assignments. compiled by Military Records and Research Library, Department of Military Affairs; edited by Julia D. Rather and Jeffrey Michael Duff, Research Our Records. 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 VVMF receives numerous requests each year from individuals who wish to have particular names added to the Memorial. There was no need to embellish. . 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 the tourists who make the circuit of all the various monuments and landmarks in our nations capital. 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.