[27] Estimates for the number of North Vietnamese civilian deaths resulting from US bombing range from 30,00065,000. Millions more come to experience this Memorial each year. Called the American War in Vietnam (or, in full, the War Against the Americans to Save the Nation), the war was also part of a larger regional conflict (see Indochina wars) and a manifestation of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies. Washington, DC 20374-5060, For records relating to U.S. national war policy, information may be found in, Vietnam War Casualty and POW/MIA Records Descriptions, Vietnam War Fatal Casualty Statistics (U. S. Armed Forces Personnel), State Lists of U. S. Fatal Casualties of the Vietnam War, Electronic Data Records Relating to Military Objectives and Activities During the Vietnam War, Search Selected Vietnam War Electronic Records, RG 472 United States Forces in Southeast Asia, 1950-1975, Office of Civil Operations and Rural Support (CORDS), Marine Corps Command Chronologies for the Vietnam War, Records Relating to American Prisoners of War and Missing in Action from the Vietnam War Era, 1960-1994, RG 335 Office of the Secretary of the Army, RG 341, Records of the U.S. Air Force Staff, RG 342, Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations, RG 340, Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, RG 27 Records of the Marine Corps - Command Chronologies (Entry UD-07D 1), RG 24 Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, RG 218 Records of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, RG 330 Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. from Johns Hopkins and his MA and Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. . The Vietnam Veterans Memorial provides a searchable database of names included on the Memorial, as well as lists of casualties. Estimates can include both civilian and military deaths in North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. [36][37][38][39] The My Lai Massacre was initially written off as an operational success and covered up. Accurate assessments of PAVN/VC losses, he wrote, were 'largely impossible due to lack of disclosure by the Vietnamese government, terrain, destruction of remains by firepower, and [inability] to confirm artillery and aerial kills.' We were tickled to death," Raymond Klug told Milkovits. The study came up with a most likely Vietnamese death toll of 882,000, which included 655,000 adult males (above 15 years of age), 143,000 adult females, and 84,000 children. Unfortunately, he mistakenly added a small number of names of men who were still alive. Locate the corresponding panel at the Memorial. 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 U.S. Army Personnel and Dependent Casualties, 1961-1981 85% of the records in this database are related to the Vietnam Conflict. Inscribed dots in the margins of every other panel mark every 10 lines to aid in counting. Rummel estimates 212,000 killed by Khmer Rouge (19671975), 60,000 killed by U.S. and 1,000 killed by South Vietnam (196773). The names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, better known as the Wall, will no longer stand alone. This totals, from a range of between 16,000 and 167,000 deaths caused by South Vietnam during the (Dim-era), and 42,000 and 118,000 deaths caused by South Vietnam in the post Dim-era), excluding PAVN forces killed by the ARVN in combat. [89], The total number of casualties, both KIA and non-hostile deaths, for drafted and volunteer service personnel (figures are approximated):[90], During the Vietnam War, 30% of wounded service members died of their wounds. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, but his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, continued the work that Kennedy had started. He estimated that victims of democide (deliberate killing of civilians) included 214,000 by North Vietnam/VC and 98,000 by South Vietnam and its allies. The earliest casualties are named on line 1 of panel 1 East, at the center of the Wall. [103], On 9 August 2012, the United States and Vietnam began a cooperative cleaning up of the toxic chemical from part of Da Nang International Airport, marking the first time Washington has been involved in cleaning up Agent Orange in Vietnam. Defense Department officials believed that these body count figures need to be deflated by 30 percent. [28][4] Higher estimates place the number of civilian deaths caused by American bombing of North Vietnam in Operation Rolling Thunder at 182,000. Her areas of interest include the Vietnam War and World Wars I and II, with a focus on Great Britain, Germany and Eastern Europe. He received his B.A. Some common names appear on the Memorial more than once. The Army as a branch had 134,982 killed or wounded (9.5 percent), but the Marines suffered 66,227 killed or wounded (22.5 percent) or almost one of every four Marines who served. U.S. military advisers, present in small numbers throughout the 1950s, were introduced on a large scale beginning in 1961, and active combat units were introduced in 1965. He would become instrumental in helping Doubek identify names and check spellings. Tensions escalated into armed conflict between the two sides, and in 1961 U.S. President John F. Kennedy chose to expand the military aid program. VVMF receives numerous requests each year from individuals who wish to have particular names added to the Memorial. Although the Wall of Faces now has a photo for each name, the VVMF continues to search for additional, higher-quality images and stories. A wounded U.S. paratrooper grimaces in pain as he awaits medical evacuation at base camp in the A Shau Valley near the Laos border in South Vietnam on May 19, 1969 during the Vietnam War. Deaths in Cambodia and Laos were estimated at 273,000 and 62,000 respectively. The names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, better known as the Wall, will no longer stand alone. Textual documents relating to the Vietnam conflict are spread across several record groups (RGs). State Lists of U. S. Fatal Casualties of the Vietnam War Electronic Data Records Relating to Military Objectives and Activities During the Vietnam War Search Selected Vietnam War Electronic Records, through the Access to Archival Databases (AAD) Textual Records Relating to the Vietnam War "We had no qualms. These records were transferred into the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration in 2008. You can scroll down to see the names of casualties listed under their official city. If a person died or went missing in those areas, DoD considered that individual to be a combat zone casualty and eligible for inclusion on the Wall. Others think it is just another tourist stop until they feel the haunting power of this unique work of remembrance. Kirby on June 8, 1968 and Lanny on October 14, 1969 Brothers Jerry and Joseph Hailey were both killed in Vietnam. (At least 100 names on the memorial are those of servicemen who were actually Canadian citizens.) By Age: Age at Time of Death Casualties 17 12 18 3,103 19 8,283 20 14,095 21 9,705 22 4,798 Compounding these difficulties was the issue that many casualties, particularly from the Air Force, were not always straightforward in terms of locale. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Furthermore, domestic unrest and the financial cost of war made peaceand troop withdrawalsa necessity, not a choice. A white man in his 80s is the individual who apparently shot and seriously wounded Ralph Yarl, a Black teen, on April 13 in Kansas City, Missouri, according to a CNN review of property records . John on March 28, 1966 and David on April 21, 1969 Brothers George and James Wright were both killed in Vietnam. Home of record does not necessarily refer to the place of birth, residence of next of kin, place of longest residence, or other common uses of the term hometown.. Inscribed on the black granite walls are the names of more than 58,000 men and women who gave their lives or remain missing. In . She received an award from the National Federation of Press Women in 2022 for her editing work on Vietnam Magazine. During and after the Vietnam War, the Department of Defense (DoD) compiled a list of combat zone casualties according to criteria in a 1965 Presidential Executive Order. The idea behind adding faces to the names on The Wall was that even a simple image of a human face not only preserves the memory of the dead but touches the lives of people today. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died. Among other countries that fought for South Vietnam, South Korea had more than 4,000 dead, Thailand about 350, Australia more than 500, and New Zealand some three dozen. 1:50. Researchers should also contact the Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections at, Marine Corps Archives and Special Collections This was long before the advent of integrated computer databases. The human costs of the long conflict were harsh for all involved. The Wall in Washington, D.C., had 58.281 names of Vietnam War casualties on it. No single persons service or sacrifice would be any greater than anyone elses. [104], Following the end of the war, many refugees fled Vietnam by boat and ship. With the glitch discovered, Doubek and his team located and hand-corrected each error. Other volunteers who played a key role include Andrew Johnson, a Wisconsin newspaper publisher; David Hine, who first discovered the effort from a VVMF newsletter; and Herb Reckinger, who began searching for Minnesotans on the Wall in 2014 and expanded to other states. He did so after a chance encounter at a VVMF event that brings a smaller replica of The Wall to communities across America. 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. [69], There has been considerable controversy about the exact numbers of deaths inflicted on the Communist side by U.S. and allied South Vietnamese forces. Vietnam Casualties. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. among the more than 58,000 names on the Vietnam . We worked very hard with volunteers from the Gold Star Mothers, recalled Doubek. Alfred M. Gray Research Center The overwhelming majority of the MIA are from northern Vietnam. In the event a service members remains are returned or accounted for, then a diamond symbol is engraved over the plus sign. Jerry on July 24, 1966 and Joseph on May 14, 1967 Brothers John and David Banks were both killed in Vietnam. Although the names are not listed alphabetically, it is not difficult for visitors to find a name on the Memorial. Civilian deaths caused by both sides amounted to a significant percentage of total deaths. As of 2017, there are 58,318 names inscribed on The Wall. Unfortunately, the Department of Defense and the individual service branches maintained separate casualty lists with slightly differing criteria. [68] Per the official Vietnamese history, over 10,000 more PAVN soldiers were killed in the final offensive of early 1975. In reality, it is a collection of ideas, images, and information that enough people have chosen to preserve and disseminate. In addition, at least 36,000 Southern civilians were executed for various reasons in the period 19671972. We are still looking for better-quality photos for several thousand of the men, Hoehn told Vietnam magazine. 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