His name does not appear at either far end. 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. 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. ), EDUCATIONAL LEVELS OF ENLISTED CASUALTIES. Proving a direct correlation to the injuries is a challenge, Pontes explained. Others, later in the war, were simply ineligible because of high lottery number. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display, Look up the name in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It may come as a surprise to some that 63.3 percent of all Vietnam enlisted casualties were not draftees but volunteers. 1972 NAID 305367, Silver Star Medal and Legion of Merit Award Case Files, 19711971 NAID 5721359. 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. How many names are on the wall? With the glitch discovered, Doubek and his team located and hand-corrected each error. This is close to, but not exactly in the same order Brothers Marlin and Norman Eversgerd were both killed in Vietnam. 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. Many others joined the reserves or National Guard, which were not mobilized in any appreciable numbers during the war. While their names are not on The Wall, they are never forgotten. 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 names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. 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 lists are based on the "home of record - state" data provided by the serviceman or woman upon last entrance into military service. Those designated by a plus sign were considered to be missing in action when the war ended. 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 honor of the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in the Vietnam War. 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. Where previously a high school diploma had been an acceptable goal, now it was college and all the benefits it would bring. In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act, creating the countrys first peacetime draft and officially establishing the Selective Service System. Interested in a tour as part of your visit? In the event a service members remains are returned or accounted for, then a diamond symbol is engraved over the plus sign. This year, 14 names were etched into the wall. 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. Photo credit DOD photo. He did it allsing, dance, create music and crack wise. All classes were drafted or volunteered and all served and died equally, although it must be noted that most blacks died separately. The memorial is free and open to the public 24 hours a day, with rangers on duty to answer questions from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. And they are so respectful when they do the engraving. The Wall of Faces allows family and friends to share memories, post pictures and connect with each other. The Vietnam Wall at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park features the names of local fallen soldiers. 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. Adding to the problem was Project 100,000. 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. 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. 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. Access to Non-Archival Military Service Records is limited. The article was originally published in the June 1993 issue of Vietnam Magazine and updated in November 2004. 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. . Order records from the National Personnel Records Center, in St. Louis at the Start your Military Service Record Request page at the National Archives website. The National Archives prepared these state level casualty lists by creating extracts from the Korean War Extract Data File and the Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File, both as of April 29, 2008, of the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) Files, part of Record Group 330: Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Every day, Americas service members selflessly put their lives on the line to keep us safe and free. do this, be sure to have an alternate reader assigned to take over in case Message & data rates may apply. In order to have your name on the Wall, you had to have died within the war zone, explained Doubek. 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. At the time, approximately 1,300 names were designated as servicemen who were either missing or prisoners of war. name within a given date. Since then, 379 names have been added, for a total of 58,318 (as of Memorial Day 2017). 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. as the names on the Wall. The casual visitor might not immediately recognize that Buis name is the first. 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. They refer to older or younger siblings who are either in or on their way to college. There was no need to embellish. Dear Mr. Huddleston, Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! The names would become the memorial. 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. United States. Buis died, as did Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand, whose name is second on the wall. Compounding these difficulties was the issue that many casualties, particularly from the Air Force, were not always straightforward in terms of locale. The article was written by Bill Abbott, an independent researcher and writer. All would be represented equally, with generals listed alongside infantrymen. The DOD percentages reveal that nearly 75 percent of Army enlisted casualties were privates or corporals. As we have pointed out earlier, more than 80 percent of our casualties were Army and Marine enlisted men with an average age of 19- to 20-years. 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. To put a circle around the symbol beside their names would not provide the correct historical context related to their situation. The Navy fatalities were 2,556 or 2 percent. 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. It gives the names in alphabetical order and . Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. 5th Marines were killed in . About 58 thousand of the 7 million American service men and women who served in Vietnam died. Some have tried for years before receiving approval from DoD. 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. The draft continued from 1948, during both peacetime and war, to 1973, when President Richard M. Nixon signed legislation officially ending the draft. 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. Vietnam War Casualties, MIA and POWs. The USO relies on your support to help service members and their families. We honor and remember their sacrifice.". The Wall USA is a non-profit endeavor maintained by veterans . 3rd Battalion. Kurt became the man of the house, even as a boy. Your donation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will help expand our mission to honor, educate and heal. 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. 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. offer to read the block of names that includes their special names. 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. the reader loses composure. The Vietnam War is no different. THE NAMES ON THE WALL: AN HISTORICAL JUDGMENT. Another browser may inform you that it does not know how to display the file Today, more than 58,000 names are engraved in the wall, and more were added in May. 5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old. 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. 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 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. Download our app to find events, locations and programs near you. while they download, thank you. The Channeling Memo of July 1965, instructed all local draft boards to give status deferments to college undergraduate and post-graduate students. Protestants were 64.4 percent (37,483), Catholics were 28.9 percent (16,806). Therefore, a complete listing of the records that were lost is not available. But there is a beginning. 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. Those who could have qualified for college probably did not have the funds or motivation. Much more detailed John Kennedy, discussing military assignments, said that, life is unfair. In civilian life, poor aptitude testing can have a tremendous negative impact, whether for college placement or for simple job advancement. Marine Corps History Division2044 Broadway StreetQuantico, Virginia 22134Telephone: (703) 432-4877, Coast GuardU.S. effort, but is a very effective means to express the enormity of the war and The ceremony is held on Mothers Day and the additions might be as simple as rectifying a clerical error or as heartbreaking as a veteran dying, all these years later, from a wound suffered during the war. 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. Of the 8000 Coast guardsmen who served in Vietnam, 3 officers and 4 enlisted men were killed and 59 were wounded. Naval Academy, 130; Texas A & M, 112; The Citadel, 66; Virginia Military Institute, 43; Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 26; Norwich University, 19. In high school, he joined ROTC and kept his fathers medals pinned next to his own awards on a piece of crimson cloth. 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. Who were they? The Selective Service System remains in place today. The names of Army Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand and Major Dale Buis are inscribed on Panel 1E of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. Vietnam War: in Country, Notice: Scanning of Vietnam-era Deck Logs, Vietnam War, 1961-1975. The trigger came when the recruiters pointed out that the volunteer could enlist as early as 17 (with parental consent); that he was allowed to select his branch of service; that he would receive specialized training if he qualified; that he could request a specific overseas assignment; and that his three year enlistment followed by three years in the inactive reserves satisfied his military obligation immediately. On the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in Washington, D.C., a special plaque reads: "In Memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. There are 58,267 names now listed on Vietnam Wall, including those added in 2010. I.. J.. K.. L.. M. N.. O.. P.. Q.. R.. S.. T.. U.. V.. W.. X.. Y.. Z "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. This is the most accurate database online. Indeed, officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. 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. They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field. Many of them, as experienced pilots, were older (two thirds were thirty or older) and many were high ranking. Individual Award Case Files, 1969 - 1970. The first Americans to die did not perish in a foxhole or beneath stars obscured by a jungle canopy. Some are drawn to the Wall like pilgrims to Mecca. They drew on every segment of American society. The directory can be purchased on the VVMF store. Lins vision prevailed. The chronological order allows veterans who were in a battle to see their friends forever united on the Wall, he explained.

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