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The Vietnam Memorial Wall

Friday, 04 January 2013 10:58 | Written by Administrator |

Vietnam Memorial Wall

History never looks like history when you are living through it’.

I think the Vietnam Memorial Wall is something America as a country got right.

Read on to learn some Interesting statistics off the Vietnam Memorial Wall
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 by date and within each

date the names are alphabetized.

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 attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia .

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.

Last Updated (Sunday, 06 January 2013 11:15)

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Saturday 6th of April

Visit of the Seven Towers Choir from Ballymena.

Saturday the 11th of May.

Reading Choir will visit for a short wreath Laying and performance

Saturday 25th of May.

Cor Chairlinne Choir, at 10.30am, Castlecomer Male Voice Choir, at 11.30am, Oban Scottish Choir at 12noon, Portadown Male Voice Choirat 12.30pm, are to visit on the 24th of May 2013, for a shiort wreath laying ceremony and recital.

American Day

Saturday the 25^thof May 2013.

We depart from the Mayo Peace Park at 12 noon.

U.S. Grave Rededication.

12.45pm in Burriscarra Cemetery.

Private Patrick J. Scahill,

Serial number 1945430

Co.B. 16^thInfantry U.S. Army.

Killed in Action 18th of July 1918.

Buried in Burriscarra Cemetery, County Mayo

2.15pm in Mayo Abbey, Cemetery

Private Martin Davin,

Serial Number 397938.

17^thAnti Aircraft Battery,

U.S. Army.

Died of Pneumonia, on active service, 5th of October 1918.

Buried in Mayo Abbey Cemetery. 16^th June 1920.

3.45pm U.S. Legion Wreath Laying.

U.S. Legion Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Mayo Peace Park

4 pm

Presentation Lunch in the Harlequin Hotel & Historical Lecture

Korean Government Presentations. Presentation to the family of Cpl Michael Gannon, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2^ndInfantry Division. From Achill Island, he was killed in action in Korea, 13^thof February 1951, buried in Bunnacurry, Achill. Certificate, Medals, Jacket & Tie Pin.

Presentation to the family of Sgt Mark James Brennan, 78^thAAA Battalion, from Kiltimagh, who died in a Non-Hostile Air Crash, whilst returning from R&R, to his unit at Suwon Air Base, Korea. Certificate, Medals, Jacket & Tie Pin.

Presentation of a Presidential Certificate

In respect of Private Thomas Carey, Supply Company, 115^thField Artillery, U.S. Army, from Bekan, Claremorris, to Mrs Bridie Culliney.

Signed by U.S. President Barrack Obama.

Historical Lecture .

By Captain Donal Buckley Retd. Irish Defence Force.

Gala Concert organised by the Mayo Choral Festival Committee all choirs will perform.

Mayo Choral Festival 23^rd– 26^thof May.

There will be a number of choirs visiting from Norway, Scotland, Germany, England and the USA; they will visiting & performing at the Mayo Peace Park.

Saturday 29th of June 2013.

Donegal Historical Group visit 2.30pm

Mayo Peace Park - Annual General Meeting

Wednesday the 4^thof July 2013, at 8pm, in the Welcome Inn Hotel, Castlebar.

RBL, Commemoration Day at Islandbridge

Dublin Saturday the 13^thof July 2013.

Mayo National Day of Commemoration Ceremony.

Mayo Peace Park, Castlebar, Sunday the 14^thof July 2013.

General Humbert’s Footsteps Commemoration Festival 16th of August

There will be a special wreath laying ceremony at the Mayo Peace Park.

Sunday 18th of August 2013.

Visit of the family & relatives of Cpl Vincent Livesy , of the Border Regiment, from Bamber Bridge in Preston on the Sunday the 18^thof August 2013.wreath laying in Castlebar Old Cemetery and assorted tours arranged to suit.

September 2013.

Mayo Peace Park tour to France & Flanders, we invite you to consider joining this historic tour.

Sunday the 10^thof November 2013.

Our Annual Remembrance Day Commemoration Mass will take place.

Monday the 11^thof November 2013, at 10.30am

Armistice Day Wreath Laying.

Regimental & Family visits

There are a number of Regimental Association visits taking place during the year, but the actual dates are not yet agreed.

School Educational Tours & Visits

We will have all the normal school groups over the year.

Hotel Coach Tours