ARmy Rumour SErvice

**jumpinjarhead** · 29-04-2012, 04:22

Apologies if this has been around before but I just got it from one of my corporals from 42 years ago who still considers me "his officer" and i honor him by posting it.

Semper Fi Dan Davis, Corporal of Marines

To all of my family and friends and Marines that I had the pleasure of serving with in the military and Vietnam, I forward this to you so we all will never forget our service to our country, and hopefully the nation will never forget what we went through.

Daniel Davis Corporal U.S.M.C. 1970-1973 Vietnam Veteran

From:
Date: Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:04:47 -0400
Subject: Fwd: The Vietnam Memorial Wall

Sent: 4/28/2012 4:52:31 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: The Vietnam Memorial Wall

Posted by MG Hank Stelling USAF ret

I think the Vietnam Memorial Wall is something this country got right. A
little history most people will never know and a refresher for those that
do know.
Hank

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 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. 5,05

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, during the TET OFFENSIVE. The most casualties suffered on
January 31st - 2nd BN., 5th Marine Reg., 1st Marine Division Regiment
FMF (Pacific) Reinforced - III MAF at Hue.

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 who do care very much.

**beagleboy** · 29-04-2012, 04:53

Lest We Forget.

**DavidBOC** · 29-04-2012, 05:05

I have visit the memorial on every trip I have made to DC since the monument was built. There is really something very beautiful and moving about it. The father of a good friend is listed on the wall.

It is amazing that the architect, Maya Lin, was a 21 year old student, studying for he B.Arch. at Yale when she won the competition to design the memorial. Amazing vision for a young woman.

**chippymick** · 29-04-2012, 06:05

Fitzgibbon was certainly not the first 'known' casualty, the first known casualty was Dewey killed by the Viet Minh in 1945, followed by the combat deaths of McGovern and Buford in 1954. Lest we forget.

**JoeCivvie** · 29-04-2012, 06:29

I believe that there are two Brits remembered on there too. Like Rick Rescorla and a few others, they joined the US army and fought in VN.

**chippymick** · 29-04-2012, 06:39

Originally Posted by JoeCivvie

I believe that there are two Brits remembered on there too. Like Rick Rescorla and a few others, they joined the US army and fought in VN.

I'd be very surprised if Rescorla was listed. But I would be very interested to know if someone has compiled a list of the Brits that are?

**Tawahi-50** · 29-04-2012, 14:11

Originally Posted by DavidBOC

It is amazing that the architect, Maya Lin, was a 21 year old student, studying for he B.Arch. at Yale when she won the competition to design the memorial. Amazing vision for a young woman.

Indeed.

By coincidence a friend and former neighbour of ours (in UK) is a Chinese lady who was a lifelong friend of Linn's mother. If memory serves me, they were classmates at Smith College (somewhere I'm certain you'll be familiar with)

After we had spoken to our friend after visiting the wall, she mentioned two things that have stuck in memory.

One was that Linn's tutor had tried to persuade her not to enter the competition saying that her design lacked merit and therefore little chance of winning (despite him having entered the competion himself). Fortunately she persevered and submitted.

Secondly, that Linn is extremely modest about her achievement, preferring to be judged by the overall quality of her work rather than a one-off.

Of course there maybe an element of family legend in the above but I prefer to believe that its true.

**jumpinjarhead** · 29-04-2012, 14:15

Originally Posted by chippymick

I'd be very surprised if Rescorla was listed. But I would be very interested to know if someone has compiled a list of the Brits that are?

The gallant Rescorla died in the 9/11 attack in NYC saving people of the company he was head of security for. Since he did not die in Vietnam he would not be on the wall.

**Carlos_Hathcock_II** · 29-04-2012, 14:25

Originally Posted by jumpinjarhead

The gallant Rescorla died in the 9/11 attack in NYC saving people of the company he was head of security for. Since he did not die in Vietnam he would not be on the wall.

JJH - I remember a there was a public movement trying to get a MoH awarded to Rescorla for his actions on 9/11.
Was it sucsessful? Or was it not considered due to his not being in service at the time, and was he given another medal/award instead (the UK would not issue a VC for this but a GM instead as a 'member of the public' type medal).

Sorry to take the thread off subject, and thanks for posting the original email.

**jumpinjarhead** · 29-04-2012, 14:49

Originally Posted by Carlos_Hathcock_II

JJH - I remember a there was a public movement trying to get a MoH awarded to Rescorla for his actions on 9/11.
Was it sucsessful? Or was it not considered due to his not being in service at the time, and was he given another medal/award instead (the UK would not issue a VC for this but a GM instead as a 'member of the public' type medal).

Sorry to take the thread off subject, and thanks for posting the original email.

I am unaware of that but the MOH would not be possible since he was not serving at the time.