The Selective Service registration requirement was later suspended in April 1975. Of all enlisted men who died in Vietnam, blacks made up 14.1 percent of the total. Twenty years passed before Vandegeers remains were identified and another five passed before his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. Army Major Dale Buis name is etched into the granite half an inch tall, no bigger or smaller than any of the others. 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. They refer to older or younger siblings who are either in or on their way to college. 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. There were 667; How many Andersons?, 178; Garcias?, 102; Murphys?, 82; Jenkins?, 66; One wants to know more about these Americans. The article was originally published in the June 1993 issue of Vietnam Magazine and updated in November 2004. 1970 - ca. The names of those who gave their lives and of those who remain missing are inscribed in the order they were taken from us. 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. Senate. Note the panel and line number for the name listed. The slabs meet at a vertex of 125 degrees, 10 feet above ground level to form the Wall. 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. How to Order a Draft Record. Naval Academy, 130; Texas A & M, 112; The Citadel, 66; Virginia Military Institute, 43; Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 26; Norwich University, 19. as the names on the Wall. 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. In a massive sampling of the database, it was established that between 5 and 6 percent of Vietnam dead had identifiable Hispanic surnames. 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. Those who could have qualified for college probably did not have the funds or motivation. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. The Wall of Faces allows family and friends to share memories, post pictures and connect with each other. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. Locate the corresponding panel at the Memorial. 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. compiled by Military Records and Research Library, Department of Military Affairs; edited by Julia D. Rather and Jeffrey Michael Duff, Research Our Records. It should be noted, however, that the draft was specifically designed to trigger volunteer enlistments. Another browser may inform you that it does not know how to display the file It stands near Panel 1W, which holds the name of the last to die in combat. But there is a beginning. All would be represented equally, with generals listed alongside infantrymen. Nor did America recognize, on July 8, 1959the day he was killedthat another long and bloody war lay in wait. It is forgotten now, but in the beginning Congress and most of the American people were behind our containment effort in Vietnam. (The 58,000 Names) Our fallen Vietnam War heroes are herethe 58,000 heroes who died in Vietnam. This index includes those who died or who were declared dead from 1950 to 1957 in Korea and from 1957 to 1975 in Southeast Asia. Lins intention from the beginning was to have the names appear chronologically, beginning and ending at the apex. The Marine Corps losses were skewed even more to the lower ranks, 91 percent were privates or corporals. Eight women were killed in Vietnam, five Army lieutenants, one Army captain, one Army lieutenant colonel and one Air Force captain. 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 directory can be purchased on the VVMF store. 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. Fill out the tour request form. Congress and the Johnson administration, therefore, sought to protect our college-bound and educated young men. All heroes are listed alphabetically by their last name. NAVY AND AIR FORCE OFFICER CASUALTIES BY RANK AND AGE. Look at the bottom of each panel on the wall for its number. 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. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. 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. The Air Force lost 2,580 or l percent. In high school, he joined ROTC and kept his fathers medals pinned next to his own awards on a piece of crimson cloth. Nursing the wounded. Authority Record - NARA, Records of the U.S. The very young were considered by many to be preferred combat material. Thus we can see that the channeling philosophy continued within the armed forces. This is close to, but not exactly in the same order as the names on the Wall. The Wall USA is a non-profit endeavor maintained by veterans . Access to Non-Archival Military Service Records is limited. The names are listed in chronological order, according to the date of casualty. Only the Navy, with 50 percent of its enlisted casualties over 21, and the Air Force, with 75 percent over 21, showed an older, more experienced age demographic. At some The Moving Wall sites, the sponsor makes arrangements The resulting aptitude scores were used to classify entrants into four categories and this would, for the most part, determine their subsequent assignments. Some are drawn to the Wall like pilgrims to Mecca. 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 Air Force lost the highest percentage of officers. I mean, it was bad.. They did not, in most cases, carry the burdens of wife or children. There are the tourists who make the circuit of all the various monuments and landmarks in our nations capital. In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all three would be killed. 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. The names of Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand and Major Dale Buis are inscribed on Panel 1E of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. If the veteran is still alive, ask his or her help finding records. that each name was a real person. They often reveal a typically warm American family atmosphere. Adding to the problem was Project 100,000. Alphabetical listing of the names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall . Air Force Historical Research Agency 600 Chenault Circle Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6424Telephone: (334) 953-2395, ArmyU.S. Nevertheless, 336,111 men were phased into the service under this plan (mostly the Army) and 2,072 were killed. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Vietnam Magazine today! 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. 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. offer to read the block of names that includes their special names. We searched the National Archives Catalog and located a series titled Muster Rolls and Personnel Diaries, 1941-1980 in the Records of the U.S. Marine Corps (Record Group 127). 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. 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. The panels come together to form a point, linking the first and last together in enduring tribute. The largest age group, 8,283 were just 19 years old. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Text STOP to opt out, HELP for help. The numbers on the wall ascend from the center out toward the left and right extremes. Some went to Canada or Sweden, but few of those who evaded the draft were actually prosecuted and most were eventually pardoned by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Once download Brothers Marlin and Norman Eversgerd were both killed in Vietnam. Blacks were 85 percent Protestant. Folded American flags were presented to his parents and an Air Force helicopter flew over the ceremony. 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. 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.. 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. THE NAMES ON THE WALL: AN HISTORICAL JUDGMENT. 26 Similar Questions And they are so respectful when they do the engraving. These directories help locate names on the wall. The Marines of Morenciled some of thebest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop. Congress. 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. 3rd Battalion. The job of cross-referencing the information of individual branches with the DoD fell to Doubek. It was fitting that Vandegeer finally returned home to American soil, because he spent his last weeks at war evacuating Americans as Saigon fell. For information regarding official military unit histories, contact: Air ForceU.S. 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. LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the fourth anniversary of President John F. Kennedys assassination. Indeed, officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. National Mall and Memorial Parks , Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. Most of the young American enlisted men who served in Vietnam were not college prospects at the time they entered the service. The files are quite large in order that we could save in Rich Text Format If a name was particularly long, it would be swapped with a shorter name. 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. If your browser displays the text file, you can then use 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 are listed chronologically by date of death, the first to last. The Vietnam War was no different. As they came through the door, Viet Cong guerrillas opened fire with machine guns. With this list in hand, he went to the various locations where individual service records were kept to review files. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. The Vietnam War is no different. Every day at 3:00 p.m. EST, VVMF will play a daily reading of all the individuals who died upon that day in alphabetical order. And, as in every American war, it is the very young who are the most willing to volunteer.