Handbook of Information-2

Handbook of Information-2 is additional information that is very relevant to the names, the wall or just general information people ask about.
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Where can I obtain current information about the M.I.A. whose bracelet I wear?

• If you wear a POW/MIA bracelet and wish to learn more about the person whose name it bears, or to write to a returned P.O.W., or to send them your bracelet, send your letter in a properly stamped envelope to the appropriate branch of service with a cover letter from you asking them to forward your letter to the person or family. Because of the Privacy Act, the Casualty Officers are unable to give out addresses, but they are more than willing to forward mail upon request. 

• The addresses for each branch of service are:

         Army

• Attn: Casualty Officer
  H.Q.D.A. (DAPC-PED-P)
  2461 Eisenhower Avenue
  Alexandria, VA 22331-0482
  (800) 892-2490 

        Air Force 

•  Attn: Chief, MPD
  HQ AFMPC/DPMCB
  Randolph Air Force Base, TX 78150-6001
  (800) 531-5501 

        Marine Corps

• Attn: Casualty Officer
  HQ USMC (Code: MHP-10)
  Washington, DC 20380-0001
  (800) 847-1597 

        Navy

• Attn: Casualty Officer
  Department of Navy, NMPC-N64DD
  Washington, DC 20370-5640
  (800) 443-9298

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Who can I get in touch with to get a copy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Washington, DC) brochure?

Write to the following:

Mall Operations/Vietnam Veterans Memorial
National Park Service
National Capitol Parks - Central
900 Ohio Drive SW
Washington, DC 20242

Where can I get a Vietnam Veterans Memorial Directory of Names?

A copy of the Directory of Names can be purchased from:

Guest Services, Inc.
3055 Prosperity Avenue
Fairfax, VA 22031-2290
(703) 849-9300

Using a credit card, you can also purchase a directory from the Guest Services, Inc. kiosk located at the Lincoln Memorial by telephoning (202) 347-2054.

How many communities have hosted The Moving Wall™?

As of January 1, 2012, The Moving Wall™ has been displayed in 1,260 communities.

THE NAMES

How many names are on the Wall?

As of January 1, 2012 there are 58,272 names listed on the memorial. Approximately 1300 of these are still unaccounted for prisoners of war (POWs) and missing in action (MIAs).

Are there any civilians listed on the Wall?

No. The memorial is dedicated to the 2.7 million men and women who served in the U.S. military in Vietnam.

How were the names obtained?

During and after the Vietnam War, the Department of Defense (DoD) compiled a list of combat zone casualties according to criteria set out in a 1965 Presidential Executive Order (11216). The Executive Order specified Vietnam and adjacent coastal waters as the combat zone. The combat zone was expanded when hostilities spread to include Laos and Cambodia. If the DoD considered an individual to be a Vietnam War fatality or to be missing, his/her name would be included. The VVMF verified the DoD list, where possible, by cross checking it against the casualty data provided by the individual services. Each name was then verified by the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. After computer processing, the names were checked manually for errors.

How many names have been added since the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated?

Twenty four groups of names have been added since the memorial was dedicated. The DoD reviewed each case thoroughly before the names were added to the official list.

1. group 1 (1983) 68 names added,
2. group 2 (1984) 15 names added,
3. group 3 (1986) 110 names added,
4. group 4 (1987) 24 names added,
5. group 5 (1989) 19 names added,
6. group 6 (1991) 8 names added,
7. group 7 (1993) 8 names added,
8. group 8 (1994) 5 names added,
9. group 9 (1996) 6 names added,
10. group 10 (1997) 7 names added,
11. group 11 (1998) 4 names added,
12. group 12 (1999) 5 names added,
13. group 13 (2000) 1 name added,
14. group 14 (2001) 6 names added,
15. group 15 (2002) 3 names added,
16. group 16 (2003) 6 names added,
17. group 17 (2004) 10 names added,
18. group 18 (2005) 4 names added,
19. group 19 (2006) 4 names added,
20. group 20 (2007) 3 names added,
21. group 21 (2008) 5 names added,
22. group 22 (2009) 1 name added,
23. group 23 (2010) 6 names added, and
24. group 24 (2011) 5 names added
25. group 25 (2012) 10 names added
26. group 26 (2013) 1 name added, bringing the total number of men and women on The Wall to 58,283.

Visit Sharon Denitto's site at http://www.touchthewall.org for a full listing of the names added from 1982 through 2013.

The bulk of the names in the first group of 68 were Marines killed when their R&R flight crashed in Hong Kong. Those in the group of 110 were added when the geographic criteria was enlarged to include people killed outside the war zone (95 service members) while on or in direct support of combat missions, and 15 men who had subsequently died of wounds or injuries received in Vietnam. Whenever names are added to the memorial in Washington, they are added to The Moving Wall at the end of that display year.

How are the names arranged on the Wall?

The names are in chronological order, according to the date of casualty. Within each day, the names are alphabetized. For the POW/MIAs, the date of casualty is the date they were reported captured or missing. The list starts and ends at the apex (center) of the Wall, beginning at the date 1959 and the inscription at the top of panel 1E:

IN HONOR OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE
ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES
WHO SERVED IN THE VIETNAM WAR. THE
NAMES OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
AND OF THOSE WHO REMAIN MISSING ARE
INSCRIBED IN THE ORDER THEY WERE
TAKEN FROM US.

The listing goes out to the end of the east wall (70E), then resumes at the far left end of the west wall (70W), ending with the date 1975 and the inscription at the bottom of panel 1W:

OUR NATION HONORS THE COURAGE,
SACRIFICE AND DEVOTION TO DUTY AND
COUNTRY OF ITS VIETNAM VETERANS. THIS
MEMORIAL WAS BUILT WITH PRIVATE
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE. NOVEMBER 11, 1982.

Although 1959 is marked as the beginning on panel 1E, Army Captain Harry Cramer was killed October 21, 1957. His name was added to line 78, panel 1E, in 1983. In addition, in 2000, the name of Air Force Sgt. Richard B Fitzgibbon Jr., who was killed June 8, 1956, was added. On September 7, 1965 his son, USMC LCpl Richard B Fitzgibbon III was killed in action.

How many of the names listed are women?

There are eight women listed. Seven were US Army nurses and one was an Air Force nurse. They are:

How many of the names listed are military chaplains?

There are 16 military chaplains listed on the memorial. Two were awarded the Medal of Honor, the military's highest award for valor.

THE MOVING WALL™ DISPLAY HISTORY

VOLUNTEERS' INFORMATION

How do volunteers use the Directory of Names? 

The Directory of Names is arranged in alphabetical order. Each name and the information associated with that name take up one (1) line, as shown in the following example:

NAME - RANK - SVC. - DATE OF BIRTH - DATE OF CASUALTY - CITY - STATE  - MIA - PANEL NO.  - LINE NO.

ABSTON JAMES ESTUS JR  -  PFC  -  AR  -  02 NOV 44  -  27 FEB 67   -  COTTONDALE AL  -   *   -  15E  -  102
ACALOTTO ROBERT JOSEPH  -  SSGT  -  AR   -  30 JAN 51  -  20 FEB 71  -  GREENSBURG PA  -  05W  -  122

 How do volunteers use the Directory of Names? 

The Directory of Names is arranged in alphabetical order. Each name and the information associated with that name take up one (1) line, as shown in the following example:

In the above example, the last column on the right indicates the line, counting from the top of the panel, on which the name is inscribed. An asterisk in the third column from the right denotes that a man is missing and unaccounted for.

There are five important things that volunteers should be aware of when looking up names in the Directory of Names:

1. If unsure how a name is spelled, always ask the person. Names rarely follow common rules of spelling. Keep in mind there are many variations in the spelling of names. If the person doesn't recall the exact spelling, ask other people around the table for assistance. Pronounce the name out loud and ask for suggestions in spelling the name. It works.

2. Be certain that you are looking on the correct line for the panel and line number. After a short time looking up names, it is easy for your eyes to move up or down a line when following the line over from the name to the panel number. Use a ruler or edge of plain paper to help you keep on the correct line.

3. If there are several names that have the same first and last name, check the middle initial. If the person does not know the middle name, check on date of birth or date of casualty or branch of service. Use caution if using city and state for verification. The city and state entries in the Directory constitute the Home of Record, a location chosen by each service person representing the place at which the service person wanted to be discharged. Therefore, the city and state entry will not always be the place of birth or actual residence.

4. Names with two capital letters (i.e. McDonald) are often located at the end of the first letter listings.

5. Pass on to the Driver/Caretaker any discrepancies and a way to contact the person claiming the discrepancy.

In addition to using the Directory of Names to locate a name, the list of names of service members and servicewomen who became casualties in a given time period can be searched. The list of names for the following time periods begin on the panels and lines indicated

NAME RUBBINGS

Name rubbings can be taken from The Moving Wall™, giving  fairly good results when done with care following the directions below.

The ONLY objects that are permitted for name rubbings are lumber crayons. Absolutely no pointed pencils or pens are to be used. Good results are obtained using a black "lumber crayon" which resembles a large crayon, but rather than round, they are hex shaped. The flat edge of these crayons is ideal for rendering names from The Moving Wall. You will need to strip the paper, and scrape the glue, from the lumber crayon, then score it with a knife dividing it into four sections at which point they snap easily. Holding the piece of crayon by the ends and the rubbing paper firmly over the name, rub back and forth lightly, until the name begins to appear.

It sometimes takes a little practice, so the volunteers at the Wall should feel free to practice so they can assist people who may be having problems.

Almost any weight paper up to 24 lb will work, except slick tracing paper. Typically, people have used 20 lb bond or copier paper, and even onion skin. Many favor vellum.

The name rubbing master forms included in this handbook can be copied and used as is, or you can personalize them with your town's name and dates of The Moving Wall's™ visit. There is also a sample form showing what this looks like.

NOTE: Because of the potential additional wear that constant rubbing causes to the panels, we cannot make name-rubbing activity available to the tens of thousands of school children that visit The Moving Wall each year. The exception would be a student who has a relative's name on the Wall.

Sample name-rubbing form personalized

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