I want to thank my fellow Vets

[chperdue]

I want to thank all the Vets, who have walked the line and protected this great nation. To those who have given blood and some times life to insure that America remains a beacon of freedom and liberty. I thank you and God Bless you all.

CH

[Guest AU prae]

I want to thank all the Vets, who have walked the line and protected this great nation. To those who have given blood and some times life to insure that America remains a beacon of freedom and liberty. I thank you and God Bless you all.

CH

Amen God Bless...........prae

[grubstake]

Thanks from me, AND MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA! Grubstake

[notoriouskelly]

My adventure wouldn't be possible without our military.

Hats off to all who serve - past, present and future!

[dutch john]

To all the men and women who have served... Overseas, Stateside, Coldwar... THANK YOU!

[pkirkll]

I would like to add thanks to a vet who helped me out last fall with a place to park my "Hampster Campster"

He is an old SF'er from 5th Group, and he was johnny on the spot for me!

He didnt have a lot himself, as he was living in the desert too.

But made a great breakfast of "corned beef hash and eggs," and did not hesitate to share with me!!!!

I just got news last week that he finally got his 100% disability after .....say--- 40 years.... PTL!

What a great Memorial Day gift he got after so many years of being on the "D" list.

Now he can do the things he deserves to be able to do!

My beret is off to him! Airborne!

paul

and I can't wait to see pics of that .338 Lapua

[highbanker58]

Thats great news that another deserving Vet got what he had coming to him.The VA is trying to play catch up. So many of my friends that I served with in Vietnam, died waiting for the VA to help them. If any of you out there know a Veteran that was denied benefits for PTSD or Agent Orange exposure, tell them to re-apply ASAP. They won't believe the RED Carpet treatment they will get now.To all the Vietnam Vets- WELCOME HOME !!! Dave

[Allen in MT]

It was 1968 Memorial day weekend May 31st. It was the day I was wounded. It's hard to believe that it has been 43 years, and yet it seems like it wasn't that long ago. 1968 was the highest casuality year and the highest use of agent orange

Thank you fellow vets for serving.

Allen in MT

Vietnam Stats

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.

Beginning at the apex on panel 1E and going out to the end of the East wall, appearing to recede into the earth (numbered 70E - May 25, 1968), then resuming at the end of the West wall, as the wall emerges from the earth (numbered 70W- continuing May 25, 1968) and ending with a date in 1975. Thus the war's beginning and end meet. The war is complete, coming full circle, yet broken by the earth that bounds the angle's open side and contained within the earth itself.

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.

The largest age group, 8,283 were just 19 years old

3,103 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 Vietnan.

31 sets of brothers are on the Wall.

Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons.

54 soldiers on the Wall 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.

That's 2,415 dead in a single month.

[enigmatic]

Thanks Colorado Gold man...all us Vets are always grateful for such comments. 10% of the US population have served in the U.S. military...1% of the population is now currently serving in the Armed Forces now! An incredible number! Guido

[El Dorado]

Great post Allen! There are times that I wonder in amazement as to why my name is not on that wall. All those men and women certainly did give their all for a war we were winning but were never allowed to finish......I thank each and everyone of them and their families!

[pkirkll]

Thanks CGM, and thank you too, Allen,

I was stunned, not by the numbers, but by the quantifiable loss of life. The way this is written brings it home to us who never got to serve in VN.

I used to be unhappy that after all my training I went through in SF that I wasnt able to go...but like i have said before, after working at the VA with so many vets, I am not so unhappy about that now.

I am happy I chose a profession that allows me to help wounded Vets around the country.

I remember when it wasn't popular to be a vet, so i thank them for sacrifices that were made during a time when it wasnt all that.

Thank God for all who served!!!---- and thank God for all of you at home who didn't serve in uniform, but backed us up!!!

I am amazed at the way popularity has turned around, and like someone said, if you havent got your VA benefits up to date, quit messing around and go in and sign up, they do give a lot better response than they used to 10 or 20 years ago.

[Mystic Dolphin]

I want to thank all the Vets, who have walked the line and protected this great nation. To those who have given blood and some times life to insure that America remains a beacon of freedom and liberty. I thank you and God Bless you all.

CH

I totally agree sometimes it seems as those these men and women don't get thanked enough! especially the ones who gave their lives I feel they could never be thanked enough. So thank you all for everything you do!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!