5,058) had ever known and cheered. How to Order a Draft Record. Each name is listed with great honor and respect. 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. And there is an end. 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 The unit diary portion of the muster roll should indicate when members of the Lima Company, 3rd platoon. do this, be sure to have an alternate reader assigned to take over in case 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. The makeup of U.S. combat forces in Vietnam has long been the subject of controversy among social scientists. Authority Record - NARA, Records of the U.S. 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. But in 1966, President Johnson and Secretary of Defense McNamara decided to institute Project 100,000 that would allow category IV men to enter the military. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. They went for a ride and she gently told them that their father would not be coming home. If a person died or went missing in those areas, DoD considered that individual to be a combat zone casualty and eligible for inclusion on the Wall. 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. 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. Today, more than 58,000 names are engraved in the wall, and more were added in May. On Patrol caught up with Pete Peterson to find out how the U.S.-Vietnam relationship has progressed since the normalization of ties in 1995. As the Vietnam War dragged on, Kurt tried twice to enlist. The Names - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund The Names When the Wall was dedicated in 1982, there were 57,939 names inscribed. The files are quite large in order that we could save in Rich Text Format 1972, United States, National Archives, Military Records, 1885-2004, United States, National Archives, Korean War and Vietnam War Records, Start your Military Service Record Request, National Archives at St. Louis, Selective Service Records. VVMF does not have the authority to overrule those who adjudicate these matters. A diamond symbol signifies that the service members death was confirmed. These casualties came largely from the Northeast and North Central regions of the United States, many from the traditionally patriotic, Catholic working class neighborhoods. Additionally, many of the names on the wall were other teenagers from the suburban white collar communities with siblings who were in, or would go on to college, but who, as individuals themselves, were slow to mature, struggled through high school and were therefore very available for the Vietnam War. Getting to Washington, D.C. Though blessed with talent, his life wasnt without struggles. Derek Turner is a freelance writer and a former senior editor of On Patrol. Millions more come to experience this Memorial each year. The directories are organized alphabetically by last name. Alphabetical listing of the names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall . They drew on every segment of American society. The Navy fatalities were 2,556 or 2 percent. If a service member were to return alive, a circlethe symbol of lifewould be inscribed around the plus sign. The panel number is a number/letter combination, such as 10W or 35E. 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. And mores the pity, because many of them were trying to escape this background and didnt make it. The Marine Corps lost 14,836, or 5 percent of its own men. No duplicate copies of the records that were destroyed in the fire were maintained, nor was a microfilm copy ever produced. Inscribed dots in the margins of every other panel mark every 10 lines to aid in counting. All were nurses, all were single and all but one were in their 20s. 3rd Battalion. that each name was a real person. Another challenge was ensuring the accuracy of the names. the person they know. 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. 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 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. He was a Navy enlisted man during World War II and has a degree in Political Science from Duke University. Kurt Buis was 8 years old the day his father died. Nursing the wounded. In this study we will refer to casualties as the 58,152 who died in Vietnam, but it should be emphasized that there were 153,303 who were wounded seriously enough to be hospitalized. Patricia Krause. The civilian and military men who formed the policy did not see it necessarily as a disadvantage. Unfortunately, he mistakenly added a small number of names of men who were still alive. The lists are based on the "home of record - state" data provided by the serviceman or woman upon last entrance into military service. 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 the military it can be somewhat more deadly. In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all three would be killed. Fallen comrades could be together on the Wall, as theyd been in death. 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. They were at their peak physically. Military Reunions, Screensavers, Rubbings, Personal Guestbook for all Names. However, if officer casualties are added to the total, then this overrepresentation is reduced to 12.5 percent of all casualties. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. This was long before the advent of integrated computer databases. 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. The draft policy at the time of the Vietnam War was called the Universal Military Training and Service Act. 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 essence of the Wall is the names and the reaction of the visitor to seeing his or her reflection in this sea of remembrance. These directories help locate names on the wall. The popularity of the GI Bill after Vietnam emphasized this yearning. In the event a service members remains are returned or accounted for, then a diamond symbol is engraved over the plus sign. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. In order to have your name on the Wall, you had to have died within the war zone, explained Doubek. "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." In 2004, the total is 58,241 names. On the west wall, the symbol precedes the name; on the east wall, the symbol follows the name. The Army refused him, for medical reasons, both times. since it was dedicated because additional casualty records were found and To put a circle around the symbol beside their names would not provide the correct historical context related to their situation. The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. Lower end category IVs consisting of those who scored below 20 on the AFQT were usually rejected for service. 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. Officer casualties in Vietnam, including warrant officers, numbered 7,874, or 13.5 percent of all casualties. How many Smiths can there possibly be who died in Vietnam? 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. They enjoyed roaring beer busts. These young men were trained quickly and shipped to Vietnam quickly. 31 sets of brothers are on the Wall. The west wall is on the left when standing facing the vertex, and the east wall is to the right. There was no need to embellish. The DOD database shows that of the 2,100,000 men and women who served in Vietnam, 58,152 were killed. 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. is complete, or you've done a "save as", you can use any word processor Army Major Dale Buis' name is etched into the granite half an inch tall, no bigger or smaller than any of the others. Less than 1 percent (0.8) were Jewish, Hindu, Thai, Buddhist or Muslim combined, and 5.7 listed no religion. If each In civilian life, poor aptitude testing can have a tremendous negative impact, whether for college placement or for simple job advancement. 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. Every day, Americas service members selflessly put their lives on the line to keep us safe and free. peruse. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. There are over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. Several hundred such designation changes have been made since the Wall was built in 1982. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest. in chronological order of the casualty date and then alphabetical by last History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. columns per page. THE NAMES ON THE WALL: AN HISTORICAL JUDGMENT. It is hard to believe it has been 36 years since the last casualties. 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 names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. If you The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 2,415 casualties were incurred. The Selective Service System remains in place today. An estimated 11,000 women served in Vietnam. An Air Force member, with his back to the camera, holds the POW/MIA flag during a full honors funeral for Air Force Second Lieutenant Richard Vandegeer at Arlington National Cemetery on October 27, 2000. The Wall is about names. Adding to the problem was Project 100,000. It is not surprising, for instance, that West Virginia, Montana, and Oklahoma had a casualty rate almost twice that of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Coast Guard casualties are included in the Navy totals. 1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam. Most of these casualties are documented in the Military Index, a FamilySearch file. Those designated by a plus sign were considered to be missing in action when the war ended. The panels are numbered beginning from the center out toward the ends of each wall. And they often show a heartbreakingly wry sense of humor with the same sensibilities as their college-bound peers. 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. 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. He did it allsing, dance, create music and crack wise. These names are followed by the inscription: Our nation honors the courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty and country of its Vietnam veterans. And, as in every American war, it is the very young who are the most willing to volunteer. 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. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. 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. 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. No other moniker for Sammy Davis Jr. was more accurate. VVMF receives numerous requests each year from individuals who wish to have particular names added to the Memorial. Physical examination and test results, medical letters, laboratory work and other medical documentation that may have been included in these files no longer exist. 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. While VVMF finances the name additions to the Wall, it is the Department of Defense that makes these difficult and often technical decisions. 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. 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. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The job of cross-referencing the information of individual branches with the DoD fell to Doubek. We worked very hard with volunteers from the Gold Star Mothers, recalled Doubek. Army Center of Military History103 3rd AvenueFort Lesley J. McNair, DC 20319-5058Telephone: (202) 685-4042, NavyU.S. Locate the line on which the name is inscribed. Photo credit DOD photo by Army Sgt. The Marines of Morenciled some of thebest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop. 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. 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. Kurt became the man of the house, even as a boy. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. If the veteran is still alive, ask his or her help finding records. 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. Along with its wave of death, it scarred many people, especially those closest to the men that died fighting the . 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. The names of Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand and Major Dale Buis are inscribed on Panel 1E of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. They refer to older or younger siblings who are either in or on their way to college. 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. 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. 244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall. By providing your mobile phone number, you opt in to receive calls and texts from USO. On average, 43 percent of white enlisted entrants placed in categories I and II (scoring 65 to 100) and 57 percent in categories III and IV (scoring 10 to 64). There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall. The training for American officers is thought by most foreign military authorities to be the best in the world. The Vietnam Wall. Non-perishable items are archived in a storage facility. Thus we can see that the channeling philosophy continued within the armed forces. 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. The article was originally published in the June 1993 issue of Vietnam Magazine and updated in November 2004. Vandegeers message also depicted a man who believed the worst was behind him. Items are gathered by park staff. Senate. Be the first to learn about news, service member stories and fundraising updates from USO. How many names are on the wall? Click to learn about the In Memory program . The men and women who valiantly fought in the Vietnam War certainly deserve the title of hero. | name within a given date. The Vietnam War was no different. 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. . At the time, approximately 1,300 names were designated as servicemen who were either missing or prisoners of war. 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. Beside each name is a symbol that denotes a service members status: either missing or confirmed dead. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall USA website is dedicated to honoring those who died in the Vietnam War. For weeks and weeks, a team worked through the list, verifying spellings and ensuring that the computer printout that was to be used for the stenciling was correct. The first two names listed on Panel 1, East Wall, at the apex are from July 8, 1959. 1972 NAID 305367, Silver Star Medal and Legion of Merit Award Case Files, 19711971 NAID 5721359. 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. See Access to Non-Archival Records for more information. If a name was particularly long, it would be swapped with a shorter name. Since then, 379 names have been added, for a total of 58,318 (as of Memorial Day 2017). Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. Some have tried for years before receiving approval from DoD. The Buddies of Midvale LeRoy Tafoya, Jimmy Martinez, Tom Gonzales were all boyhood friends and lived on three consecutive streets in Midvale, Utah on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh avenues. It may come as a surprise to some that 63.3 percent of all Vietnam enlisted casualties were not draftees but volunteers. Most of the young American enlisted men who served in Vietnam were not college prospects at the time they entered the service. Indeed, officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. This can help veterans or relatives find other persons who died with The shining surface is intended to reflect the sun, the ground and those who stand before it. Making these arrangements and printing the pages takes considerable 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. 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. Marine Corps History Division2044 Broadway StreetQuantico, Virginia 22134Telephone: (703) 432-4877, Coast GuardU.S. U.S. Army Personnel and Dependent Casualties, 1961-1981 85% of the records in this database are related to the Vietnam Conflict. Therefore, a complete listing of the records that were lost is not available. Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons. An aunt came and loaded the three boys into the car. Vietnam War: in Country, Notice: Scanning of Vietnam-era Deck Logs, Vietnam War, 1961-1975. Please take a moment to let our troops know how much we appreciate their service and sacrifice. But there is a beginning. Bennett on March 25, 1968 and Dennis on August 02, 1970 Brothers Gabriel and Paul Trujillo were both killed in Vietnam. The Wall USA is a non-profit endeavor maintained by veterans . 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. No single persons service or sacrifice would be any greater than anyone elses. the requirements were expanded (by. 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. Buis was in Vietnam by his own volition. The Marine Corps losses were skewed even more to the lower ranks, 91 percent were privates or corporals. Much more detailed 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. On the other end of that phone call was an former Air Force officer who had served in Vietnam. A correspondingly greater tradition of military service in the other regions had its effect on U.S. regional casualties. Some common names appear on the Memorial more than once. Its still fought in the bodies and minds of the men who waged it all those decades ago. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. With the glitch discovered, Doubek and his team located and hand-corrected each error. They seem honored to be putting the names on the Wall.. When the sound of exploding hand grenades rang out in the hall, Buis and others ran toward the sound. Some are drawn to the Wall like pilgrims to Mecca. 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. 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. The DOD database listed precise religious preferences for the 58,152 Vietnam casualties. Marlin on March 19, 1967 and Norman on August 18, 1968 Brothers Bennett and Dennis Herrick were both killed in Vietnam. Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons. John Kennedy, discussing military assignments, said that, life is unfair. 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. The DOD percentages reveal that nearly 75 percent of Army enlisted casualties were privates or corporals. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 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. Look for discharge papers, pictures, medals,etc. Unfortunately, the Department of Defense and the individual service branches maintained separate casualty lists with slightly differing criteria. The officer corps casualties alone would satisfy that judgment, but that is not the same as being representative. Although it is a truism that the young die in war, one is still unprepared for the fact that 40 percent of Marine enlisted casualties in Vietnam were teenagers; that more than 16 percent of Army enlisted casualties were also teenagers; and that nearly a quarter of all enlisted casualties in Vietnam were between the ages of 17- and 19-years old. Vietnam War Casualties- Main Alphabetical Index www.VirtualWall.org Find A Name Information Memorial pages honoring Vietnam War casualties, listed by their last names. 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. It is hard to believe it is 36 years since the last casualties. 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. 997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam. 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. but will allow you to download it after you specify a file name. With this list in hand, he went to the various locations where individual service records were kept to review files. This is the most accurate database online. For a photograph of an inscription of a close friend or relative, write: This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Database of the 58,195 Names on The Wall in Wash,D.C. Note that the files are large, and are in Rich Text Format (RTF), with two 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.