Veterans Day thoughts....

[RalphKramden2011]

A little history most people will never know. Interesting Veterans Statistics off the Vietnam Memorial Wall

"Carved on these walls is the story of America , of a continuing quest to preserve both Democracy and decency, and to protect a national treasure that we call the American dream." ~President George Bush

SOMETHING to think about - Most of the surviving Parents are now Deceased.

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.

· 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 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.


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.

REST IN PEACE

[SS-342]

Very appropriate.

Thanks

[fishinfool]

Thank you for that RK. I have an uncle who is a surviving Marine. We have spoken of his time there and it is still unbelievable what our people went through and why. I am ever so grateful that our current troops are receiving the support they deserve.

[Daybreak]

Veteran's Day
It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.

Father Dennis Edward O'Brian, USMC

Thank God for all of our Veterans.

Daybreak

[CSMarine]

Someone told me once about something that was found written on a wall of a burned out building in Iraqi. It said "America is not at war. The Marines are at war. America is at the mall."
When you wake up in the morning and go about your busy day, remember to thank a veteran for going to war for America.

[FUTCHCAIRO]

THANKS GENTLEMEN, APPRECIATE THAT. THEY SAY ONCE A MARINE ALWAYS A MARINE, I HAVE BEEN OUT OF THE CORPS. SINCE 1946 , BUT STILL CONSIDER MYSELF A MARINE.
PA
SEMPER FI

[tin can]

My father is a WWII vet. I served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1972. I think Veterans Day has a totally different meaning for those that have served vs. those that haven't. To all Veterans, from one that has served, I salute you.

[silverking]

I agree Tin Can. Many who haven't are enjoying a day of vacation or on the way to the mall.

But here's a special salute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and all my fellow vets who did proudly serve their country.

USN, 1980-1988

[wevans]

I'm a proud non-wartime vet, and I thank all those who served during wartime, for the scrafices that we didn't have to make during that time, and for all times we live freely and without worry of attack on our soils

[qoutrage]

Thanks RK..

To all who served... I salute you..

[EddieJoe]

All gave some. . .

Some gave all.

I was one of the lucky ones.

EJ
USN - Naval Security Group
CTR2
1966-1970

[Harmsway]

Yeah, you knocked that one right to the moon, Ralph. thanks for sharing.

I'm with TinCan, too. We ought to give veterans the day off on Veterans' Day, instead of bankers.