I asked if he wanted to see his picture, Reckinger said. [57], The ARVN suffered 254,256 recorded combat deaths between 1960 and 1974, with the highest number of recorded deaths being in 1972, with 39,587 combat deaths. Reports of casualties vary, but during the 10 days of intense fighting, an estimated 630 North Vietnamese were killed. The goal was to collect at least one photograph of each of the 58,281 Vietnam War service members whose names are inscribed on the Wall began in 2001. Textual documents relating to the Vietnam conflict are spread across several record groups (RGs). "[56] Investigations by Korean civic groups have alleged that at least 9,000 civilians were massacred by ROK forces. Omissions? American soldiers and Vietnamese refugees returning to the town of Hue, in Vietnam. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., lists more than 58,300 names of members of the U.S. armed forces who were killed or went missing in action. No single persons service or sacrifice would be any greater than anyone elses. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. The database also estimates combat deaths in Cambodia for the years 196775 to total 259,000. Through the years, the memorial has matured and developed into a unique place of tranquility and honor. The government of Vietnam says that 4 million of its citizens were exposed to Agent Orange, and as many as 3 million have suffered illnesses because of it; these figures include the children of people who were exposed. The Wall USA is a non-profit endeavor maintained by veterans of the 4th Battalion 9th Infantry Regiment for the benefit of all. Seven massacres officially confirmed by the American side. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. Shelby L. Stanton, 'The Rise and Fall of an American Army,' Spa Books, 1989, xvi. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. has the names listed in chronological order by date of loss. Democide is the murder of persons by or at the behest of governments. In 1995 Vietnam released its official estimate of the number of people killed during the Vietnam War: as many as 2,000,000 civilians on both sides and some 1,100,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/pages/main.xhtml, State Lists of Fatal Casualties of the Vietnam War, www.archives.gov/research/military/vietnam-war/casualty-lists/, Re: Seeking data for those who served by branch in Southeast Asia during 1965-73, Seeking data for those who served by branch in Southeast Asia during 1965-73, Re: Seeking number of Army & Marines casualties on July 4, 1968, Re: Looking for digitized Vietnam and/or WWII casualty information, Find answers to your research questions at, How to File a FOIA Request for Archival Records. Estimates of casualties of the Vietnam War vary widely. [22], Thomas Thayer in 1985 estimated that during the 196572 period the VC killed 33,052 South Vietnamese village officials and civil servants.[23]. The names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, better known as the Wall, will no longer stand alone. According to RJ Rummel, from 1964 to 1975, an estimated 1,500 people died during the forced relocations of 1,200,000 civilians, another 5,000 prisoners died from ill-treatment and about 30,000 suspected communists and fighters were executed. Mary Klinker,. [93][97], Civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, John Lewis, Muhammad Ali and others, criticized the racial disparity in both casualties and representation in the entire military, prompting the Pentagon to order cutbacks in the number of African Americans in combat positions. The United States entered Vietnam with the principal purpose of preventing a communist takeover of the region. As a result, the software improperly truncated or abbreviated names. The Memorial is dedicated to honor the courage . The National Archives and Records Administration prepared theseVietnam War casualty lists by creating extracts from the military casualty data files in the Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Record Group 330). Authority Record - NARA Records of the U.S. A diamond symbol signifies that the service members death was confirmed. These Vietnam War photos taken by U.S. Army photographers reveal a side of the conflict that few people have ever seen. June 19, 1969 Jack Sweitzer and Tom McMullen (fat albert) were severly wounded by a recoilless rifle round that hit as we ate lunch. But it was still missing this until now. I am proud of my work with this project and will never forget this time in my life.. 1:50. 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. Vietnam War, 1961-1975. Doubek contacted the National Personnel Records Center, Archives and Records Service, in St. Louis, Mo. An additional 232,000 military personnel were still missing as of 2017, a total of 1,081,000 dead and missing for the American War. The sum of those totals is 3,091,000 war deaths between 195575. . In that respect, it failed: the two Vietnams were united under a communist banner in July 1976. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, but his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, continued the work that Kennedy had started. Note the panel and line number for the name listed. The last 18 names listed on the bottom of Panel 1, West, also at the apex, are from May 15, 1975. To put a circle around the symbol beside their names would not provide the correct historical context related to their situation. [95][96], The number of US military personnel in Vietnam jumped from 23,300 in 1965 to 465,600 by the end of 1967. Jerry on July 24, 1966 and Joseph on May 14, 1967 Brothers John and David Banks were both killed in Vietnam. Congress authorized troop deployment in Vietnam, but, because it did not issue a declaration of war on North Vietnam or the Viet Cong, the Vietnam War is, technically speaking, not considered a war in the United States. Civil War Battles. 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. His estimate of total deaths is reflected in the table. for records of U.S. Army casualties documenting the period 1961-1981. And there would be nothing to denote service or rank. Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010: see the "National Cemeteries and Beneficiaries" section below. 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. Updates? The west wall is on the left when standing facing the vertex, and the east wall is to the right. PAVN and VC losses were reported as 1.1 million dead and civilian deaths of Vietnamese on both sides totaled 2.0 million. Locate the line on which the name is inscribed. Chapter 17 index: "Communists provided further corroboration of the proximity of their casualty figures to American figures in a postwar disclosure of total losses from 1960 to 1975. Soldiers, one wounded and being carried by a colleague, walking down Hill Timothy, during the conflict in Vietnam. 2040 Broadway Street [19], Other casualties for the ARVN included up to 1,170,000 military wounded,[59] and 1,000,000 surrendered or captured. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. "We had no qualms. Researchers should also contact the Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections at, Marine Corps Archives and Special Collections To learn about us and how you can help maintain this site. Some photos that have been submitted are obituary photos, high school yearbook photos or Polaroids from Vietnam.. In . W denotes the west wall, and E denotes the east wall. The Wall in Washington, DC has the names listed in the order of the date of death or when the person became missing. These were caused by assassinations, massacres, terror tactics, artillery, extensive aerial bombing, and the use of firepower in military operations conducted in heavily populated areas. [15][16][17] Walter Mead estimates that approximately 365,000 Vietnamese civilians to have died as a result of the war during the period of American involvement. [98], Unexploded ordnance continue to detonate and kill people today. "Making More Enemies than We Kill? The war also spilled over into the neighboring countries of Cambodia and Laos which also endured casualties from aerial bombing and ground fighting. The decades-long Wall of Faces project, meant to humanize the names on the iconic Vietnam War memorial, is now complete. (The estimates for 195564 are much higher than other estimates). In addition to more photos, the VVMF invites the public to share stories and memories on the online memorial to add to the legacy of fallen service members. 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 further suggests that 222,000 civilians may have been counted as enemy military deaths by the U.S. in compiling its "body count" raising the total to 627,000 killed. Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History. U.S. casualties were listed as 72 killed and 372 wounded. Encounter Books, December 2022. By 1969 more than 500,000 U.S. military personnel were stationed in Vietnam. After looking at his friend on the Wall of Faces, he had one sentence for me: I forgot what he looked like.. The U.S. estimated more than 100,000 PAVN killed in the offensive. Vietnam War Casualties, MIA and POWs. Millions more come to experience this Memorial each year. [101], Agent Orange and similar chemical defoliants have also caused a considerable number of deaths and injuries over the years, including among the US Air Force crew that handled them. [45] One example cited by Turse is Operation Speedy Express, an operation by the 9th Infantry Division, which was described by John Paul Vann as, in effect, "many My Lais". According to the Information Bureau of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam (PRG), a shadow government formed by North Vietnam in 1969, between April 1968 and the end of 1970 American ground troops killed about 6,500 civilians in the course of twenty-one operations either on their own or alongside their allies. The total number of officer casualties, commissioned and warrant, are 7,877. And. These numbers are not official statistics and are for informational purposes only. , will no longer stand alone still missing as of 2017, a of... 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