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

Beside each name is a symbol that denotes a service members status: either missing or confirmed dead. prepared by Frances A. Hortsch for the Phoenix Genealogical Society. 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. 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. She wanted the names to tell the journey, or the timeline, of the war. Most of these casualties are documented in the Military Index, a FamilySearch file. Another browser may inform you that it does not know how to display the file Scholars debate about when the war really began and in many ways it has never ended. Marine Corps History Division2044 Broadway StreetQuantico, Virginia 22134Telephone: (703) 432-4877, Coast GuardU.S. Please say a prayer for our fallen heroes, their family members, and our hero Vietnam War Veterans during your visit. Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010: see the "National Cemeteries and Beneficiaries" section below. As a result, the black casualty rate was reduced to 11.5 percent by 1969. In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all three would be killed. Its still fought in the bodies and minds of the men who waged it all those decades ago. During one review, Doubek found a glitch with the computer software: it did not recognize the spaces that appeared within a last name, such as van der Meide. Nor could it properly discern a compounded first name, such as Billy Bob, versus a traditional first and middle name. 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. https://www.historynet.com/names-on-the-wall-a-closer-look-at-those-who-died-in-vietnam/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, When 21 Sikh Soldiers Fought the Odds Against 10,000 Pashtun Warriors, Few Red Tails Remain: Tuskegee Airman Dies at 96. 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. 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. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. has the names listed in chronological order by date of loss. However, if officer casualties are added to the total, then this overrepresentation is reduced to 12.5 percent of all casualties. Lins intention from the beginning was to have the names appear chronologically, beginning and ending at the apex. The Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) was given to all entering enlisted men. It gives the names in alphabetical order and . When the sound of exploding hand grenades rang out in the hall, Buis and others ran toward the sound. Buis died, as did Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand, whose name is second on the wall. The panels are numbered beginning from the center out toward the ends of each wall. The names are listed in chronological order, according to the date of casualty. These casualties came largely from the Northeast and North Central regions of the United States, many from the traditionally patriotic, Catholic working class neighborhoods. Frequently relatives or buddies of casualties Charles Holley; chief editor, Robert J. Martin, 4th Infantry Division. The files are quite large in order that we could save in Rich Text Format 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. On the stencil printouts, each line contained five names per row. Some common names appear on the Memorial more than once. Those designated by a plus sign were considered to be missing in action when the war ended. The directories are organized alphabetically by last name. Of 2,590 total Air Force casualties, 1,674 or 65 percent were officers. All were nurses, all were single and all but one were in their 20s. This approach would allow veterans, friends and family members to find a loved one by his or her date of casualty. It is more notable, perhaps, only because his was the first name engraved into The Wall. In the military it can be somewhat more deadly. Note that the files are large, and are in Rich Text Format (RTF), with two Others, later in the war, were simply ineligible because of high lottery number. Doubek contacted the National Personnel Records Center, Archives and Records Service, in St. Louis, Mo. With this list in hand, he went to the various locations where individual service records were kept to review files. Yet, a civilian heroine who served in a different capacity during that difficult time also merits particular acknowledgment. is complete, or you've done a "save as", you can use any word processor We honor and remember their sacrifice.". Although the names are not listed alphabetically, it is not difficult for visitors to find a name on the Memorial. The Vietnam Wall at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park features the names of local fallen soldiers. 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. Since its adoption in 1951, at the time of the Korean War, this policy had been renewed by Congress every four years. On that panel, above the names is this inscription: In honor of the men and women of the armed forces of the United States who served in the Vietnam War. What will be the evolving historical judgment for those names on the Wall? The numbers on the wall ascend from the center out toward the left and right extremes. And they often show a heartbreakingly wry sense of humor with the same sensibilities as their college-bound peers. The panel numbers are inscribed at the bottom of each panel. Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. World War II had been, for the most part, a perfect war, clear of purpose, the forces of democracy and freedom lined up against the forces of fascism and tyranny. Compounding these difficulties was the issue that many casualties, particularly from the Air Force, were not always straightforward in terms of locale. 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. Please be patient Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics, Korean War and Vietnam War casualties listed at the National Archives, Hospital Admission Card Files, ca. Locate the line on which the name is inscribed. The war is complete, coming full circle, yet broken by the earth that bounds the angles open side and contained within the earth itself. John Kennedy, discussing military assignments, said that, life is unfair. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. 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. readers. There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall. Click to learn about the In Memory program . As Maya Ling Lin, the architect of the Wall, has said: It was as if the black-brown earth were polished and made into an interface between the sunny world and the quiet dark world beyond that we cannot enter. Who were they? W denotes the west wall, and E denotes the east 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. Ziomek's name was finally inscribed on the Washington memorial on Sept. 15, 2020; he was one of just three veterans added in 2020. For a photograph of an inscription of a close friend or relative, write: This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 Folded American flags were presented to his parents and an Air Force helicopter flew over the ceremony. compiled by Military Records and Research Library, Department of Military Affairs; edited by Julia D. Rather and Jeffrey Michael Duff, Research Our Records. columns per page. This change prompted the addition of 110 names in 1986. The beginnings and endings are often hazy and the facts of the story lie at the mercy of the teller. 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. Most of the young American enlisted men who served in Vietnam were not college prospects at the time they entered the service. The very young were considered by many to be preferred combat material. The Army refused him, for medical reasons, both times. 12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old. The lists are based on the "home of record - state" data provided by the serviceman or woman upon last entrance into military service. Doubek was tasked with identifying all of the names to be included on the Wall. Except for the last file, there are approximately 10,000 names per file. Its now one of the most popular memorials in Washington. 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. (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. Of all enlisted men who died in Vietnam, blacks made up 14.1 percent of the total. There are students on field trips, some solemn and curious, but some just happy to get out of class. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. There is no question that all segments of American society were represented. All would be represented equally, with generals listed alongside infantrymen. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. This takes about 72 hours. Beginning Research in United States Military Records, National Vietnam War Veterans Day - Wikepedia, National Park Service Vietnam Veterans Memorial. 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. What happens to items left at the memorial? 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. If a service member were to return alive, a circlethe symbol of lifewould be inscribed around the plus sign. The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. This is close to, but not exactly in the same order as the names on the Wall. "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. He tried to make the best call he could when adding names to the list. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. 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. Instead its nearly in the center. You could also keep these files on a computer at your The figures show that on average 65 percent of white enlisted men and 60 percent of black enlisted men were high school graduates. . 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. AGE 17 TO 21 PREFERRED ARMY AND MARINE COMBAT MATERIAL. since it was dedicated because additional casualty records were found and See Access to Non-Archival Records for more information. At the time, approximately 1,300 names were designated as servicemen who were either missing or prisoners of war. Buis can be found at the top middle of a slab designated Panel 1E. The DOD database shows that of the 2,100,000 men and women who served in Vietnam, 58,152 were killed. The National Park Service offers these steps for locating a name: National Park Service rangers and volunteers are available to assist in locating names at the Memorial. 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. Vietnam War: in Country, Notice: Scanning of Vietnam-era Deck Logs, Vietnam War, 1961-1975. Air Force Historical Research Agency 600 Chenault Circle Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6424Telephone: (334) 953-2395, ArmyU.S. 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. During the Vietnam War, the Navy and Air Force became substantially white enclaves enlisted and officer casualties were 96 percent white. Though 13 were rescued at sea, the rest died, either upon impact or soon after. In an audiotape recorded for a close friend shortly before Vandegeers death, and transcribed in Bernard Edelmans book Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam, he described the perilous mission in Saigon. 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. The first two names listed on Panel 1, East Wall, at the apex are from July 8, 1959.