The Wall

[Lonestar grips.]

this was forwarded to me by a Friend



The Wall

A little history most people will never know.

Interesting Veterans Statistics off the Vietnam Memorial Wall


There are 58,267 names now listed on that polished black wall, including those added in 2010.


The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. It is hard to believe it is 36 years since the last casualties.


The first known casualty was Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth , Mass. Listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having been killed on June 8, 1956. His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept. 7, 1965.


There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Wall.

39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger.


8,283 were just 19 years old.

The largest age group, 33,103 were 18 years old. 12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old.


5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old.


One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old.


997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam ..


1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam ..


31 sets of brothers are on the Wall.


Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons.

54 soldiers attended Thomas Edison High School in adelphia . I wonder why so many from one school.


8 Women are on the Wall. Nursing the wounded.

244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall.

Beallsville , Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons.

West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall.

The Marines of Morenci - They led some of the scrappiest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop. 5,058) had ever known and cheered. They enjoyed roaring beer busts. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest . And in the patriotic camaraderie typical of Morenci's mining families, the nine graduates of Morenci High enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. Only 3 returned home.

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. They lived only a few yards apart. They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field. And they all went to Vietnam . In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all three would be killed. LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the fourth anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination. Jimmy died less than 24 hours later on Thanksgiving Day. Tom was shot dead assaulting the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245 deaths.

The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 - 2,415 casualties were incurred.

For most Americans who read this they will only see the numbers that the Vietnam War created. To those of us who survived the war, and to the families of those who did not, we see the faces, we feel the pain that these numbers created. We are, until we too pass away, haunted with these numbers, because they were our friends, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters. There are no noble wars, just noble warriors.



Please pass this on to those who served during this time, and those who DO Care. I've also sent this to those I KNOW do care very much, and I thank you for caring as you do.

[milkmanjoe]

I will assault the internet with this, you can count on that...
Thank You for sharing.

Looking for more facts for posting, your post kinda mirrors this document.... http://www.vva522.org/page70.html
I think the number of deceased soldiers ends in 272 now, hafta do more research. The numbers will always change as soldiers' remains are uncovered or returned by the Vietnamese govt.

[NAMVET72]

Very Nice , but more names were just added this year.......

[edgehill]

One of the names was part of my extended family. Ronald S McCrary died in January 1969. It was a few months before I was around, but I grew up with his sister and cousins.

This is his section of the wall a few years ago when I was in DC.

[Caleb]

Thanks for sharing. May God rest their souls.

[GD2A]

I'm blessed to have a "hero" in my life and I cherish our weekly lunches. "The Colonel" came to the US in the early 60's and began his service in the 2506 Brigade (Bay of Pigs). He then joined the 82nd and went on to lead infantry troops in Vietnam as a Captain and Major.

He is a very accomplished and humble man who when asked about what he is most proud of across his military career replies the opportunity to lead his men in battle and do his damnedest to keep them alive. The most difficult aspect of his service was writing the letters to family members of fallen men.

He is the recipient of the Purple Heart, three Bronze Stars and one Silver Star. Now in his mid 80's, he's slowing down a bit but still has that fire in his eye and thunder in his voice when he speaks of God, Country and those that served and made the ultimate sacrifice. Two of my most prized possessions are the M1 Carbine and pair of LTC 'combat black' Oak Leafs he gave me.

God bless America and all who have defended our freedoms, especially those that gave their lives!