A few facts about the wall

Coldshooter

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These are a few facts not trivia as nothing on that wall is trivial.


The Wall (Viet Nam)
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.

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 Philadelphia . 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. We are, until we too pass away, haunted with these numbers, because they were our friends, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters.
 
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Thank you

for-posting this. I have read it several times. Each time it brings back the memories of my service in Viet Nam. There are names of some of my friends on the wall. I have not been able to bring myself to visit the wall in DC. I have been to the Traveling Wall a couple of times and it takes my breath away and I have a hard time catching my breath and swallowing the lump in my throat. I still can smell the cordite and blood of my buddy. I was 19 years old. I still wake up in a panic in the night some times.
 
Even a John Rambo is on the Wall... and my cousin is under him,
"Brantley".

johnrambo.jpg
 
I remember seeing the Traveling Wall in Birmingham many years ago. I did not personally know any of them but stood there and cried while thinking about all those names/people that died for our country.
Very humbling.
Thank you for posting this and thanks to so many that served.
 
I'd like to personally thank you for all of that information. As a Vietnam Veteran myself I was given an opportunity to visit the wall in D.C. quite a few years ago. I was sent back to an educational seminar through my local Union, their headquarters are in D.C. On one day they loaded us all up in a bus and took us down to International Headquarters, I noticed that we were truly within walking distance to a number of the highlights which I had seen back in the early 70's and mentioned that it would be a real treat to get to see the newly erected wall, to hell with International Headquarters. I'm happy to say that enough of us raised enough hell that in order to avoid a mutiny they decided to give us a ride over to the mall and we got to go see the wall. It was a very moving experience for me and although I only lost a few aquaintenances while over their and didn't loose anyone really close or have my buddies brains splattered on me its important to have that closure, even if you can't remember the guys given name, all I remembered was his nickname and therefore couldn't look him up. But it was nice to stand there on the proper year and think about him and all of the rest of the great guys that gave their all for their country...whether or not they believed in what they were doing they were doing what they felt they needed to do. May they be with whatever peace they believed in.
 
I've been to the Wall.
My friend, Jim Bodish, was killed in Sep. 1970. He was my Flight Engineer on 000 (tail number).
He was nineteen.
RIP Jim.

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I never got the guts to visit the Wall personally. My Granddaughter went and got some rubbings of some of my friends.

Kianna%20at%20the%20Wall.JPG
 
I was never in Viet Nam but one of my close friends has 22 of his buddies on the wall (fellow Green Berets). My USMC son and I visited the wall at about 0630 one summer morning, I wish to return and pay my respects again one day soon. Across from the Viet Nam Memorial is the Combat Nurses Memorial, perhaps the most haunting sculpture (bronze) I will ever see. To Them and all of you who survived, Thank You for your service. Ivan
 
Great thread Coldshooter; I have yet not mustered enough courage to visit the Wall myself.
 
Wall

I cant muster enough courage to go myself my wife & daughter went & got a few names for me enough said . Interesting post Thank you Old Seabee
 
The traveling Vietnam Wall came to Fort Hood in 1996 and I took our boy scout troop to it. It was 8PM at night and there must of been two hundred other soldiers and families there. My scouts did me proud, they were respectful and realized that in the next war their dad's (an mom's) could be on the next memorial. Ten years later these scouts are our next generation of citizens who will protect our nation.
 
I visited the traveling Wall many years ago when it was in chillicothe illinois seeing all of those names made me realize how precious life truly is.
 
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the government says that 1956 was the year of the first official death. I wonder how many before that were advisors to the French before that would be considered "unofficial"? there were probably even some advisors to Uncle Ho to help defeat Japan. from history I don't think we ever left Vietnam after WW 2 was over
 
Thank you for the posting. I have been to the Wall and spent the walk in the area trying to read the names through tears that I could not hold back!

The worse thing about the entire thing is that is was all for nothing....
 
I thank you for posting these facts about the Wall. I am a VN vet and have been to the Wall twice. I cannot make myself go back. I find the names of those I knew on the Wall and I go blank. My name could be there, but for a quick change in plans. RIP, my Brothers...........
 
I served during that period but Uncle had different plans for me. A number of my closest high school and college buddies were right in the thick of it and they all came back alive. One saw so many casualties up close and personal he still suffers PTSD.

I went to the wall years ago looking for two names I had heard had been killed. Neither name was there so I actually had a mixed experience.

The wall was widely panned when it was planned and built. Ultimately, I think it is the most appropriate memorial of all.

One of my buddies jumped out of Hueys from too high so many times that his knees were ruined...he has new ones now. Any of you have that experience?
 

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