While We Wait - History of War

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Left at The Wall.

Over the years, VVMF has collected hundreds of thousands of items that help tell the story of a war that is still being fought by those who served and a conflict that changed the lives of many Americans forever.

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Today we honor David Toler of Ashland, Kentucky, who fell in 1970. Today would have been his birthday. He is remembered by his sister, Jayne: 

"Remembering my brother on his 62nd birthday. I love you David!" 

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A U.S. military policeman talks to two German boy POW “Kindersoldaten”, who have been loaded onto the Jeep for transport to the detention area. Children as young as 12 were often caught in the net of advancing Allied forces in the last few months of the war as German military manpower shortages had become dramatic.

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A fire team from C Company, 2/7th Cavalry assaults an enemy position near Bong San on 27 January 1966. 

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On this day in 1968, the Battle for Khe Sanh begins with a brisk firefight involving the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines and a North Vietnamese battalion. North Vietnamese forces overran the village of Khe Sanh and opened fire on the base itself - detonating 1,500 tons of explosives. In an order to keep defending the base and resupply by air, Americans drafted a battle plan calling for massive artillery and air strikes. During the siege, U.S. planes dropped 5,000 bombs daily, exploding the equivalent of five Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs in the area.

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Today we honor John Sickel of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, who fell in 1967. Today would have been his birthday. He is remembered by his twin brother's old friend, Katherine: 

"Although I never had the opportunity to meet 'Jack', I felt that I knew him well through his twin brother, Jeff. They would have been 69 years old today."

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We are saddened to hear of the passing of John J. McGinty III, Vietnam veteran and Medal of Honor recipient who died last week at his home in South Carolina. John received the Medal of Honor in "his efforts to lead, protect and rally his outnumbered platoon during an assault in a jungle." 

He was 73. 

We thank him for his courageous service. 

[vietnam1969]

  HERE IS A NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT  CAPTAIN JOHN J. McGINTRY III   MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/23/us/john-j-mcginty-iii-war-hero-dies-at-73.html?_r=0

 

 

 SEMPER FI   BROTHER AND MAY YOU REST IN PEACE

 

  

 

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2014 by vietnam1969

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  HERE IS A NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT  CAPTAIN JOHN J. McGINTRY III   MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/23/us/john-j-mcginty-iii-war-hero-dies-at-73.html?_r=0

 

 

 SEMPER FI   BROTHER AND MAY YOU REST IN PEACE

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Great article!  Thanks for sharing it with us vietnam1969 

[Maggie123]

Thank You For The Article Vietnam1969... it gave even more insight to this man's thoughts and life... True Integrity.

 

Thanks again Bumper for keeping this going... Much Appreciated... We should never forget these people and the sacrifices they made.

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Today we honor Ronald Tastad of Mendota, Illinois, who fell in 1990. Today would have been his birthday. He is remembered by his daughter, Ann: 

"My dad died of cancer caused from Agent Orange in 1990. He was 43 years old. His family and friends miss him very much. We are hoping to have him honored at The Wall this year." 

Thank you for your service, Ronald!

 

 

 

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On this day in 1970, Lt. Everett Alvarez of the U.S. Navy spends his 2,000th day as a POW. He was the first American pilot to be taken as a POW in North Vietnam, and at the time, was the longest held. Alvarez was released in February of 1973 after spending over eight brutal years in captivity. He was taken prisoner when his plane was shot down on August 5, 1964.

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Today we honor James Myers of Bloomfield, New Jersey, who fell on this day in 1967. He is remembered by his first cousin, Erin, once removed.

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On this day in 1967, 23-year-old medic Donald Evans Jr. earns a posthumous Medal of Honor. Donald left his position of relative safety with his platoon, to answer the calls for medical aid from the wounded men of another platoon that was heavily engaged with the enemy force. Evans charged forward through 100 yards of open ground to reach wounded soldiers. With total disregard for his own safety, he moved among the soldiers, treating the men and carrying the more seriously wounded back to his platoon. Ignoring his wounds after being hit with a grenade fragment and rejoining his platoon for battle, he persisted in carrying the wounded away from enemy fire. While running toward another man, he was killed by enemy fire.

Evans' extraordinary valor, dedication, and indomitable spirit
saved the lives of several of his fellow soldiers. He is one of over 150 Medal of Honor recipients listed on The Wall. 

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Today we honor Leroy Peagler of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who fell on this day in 1967. He is remembered by his daughter, Diane: 

"Missed and loved, never forgotten,,,,"

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The sun breaks through dense jungle foliage as South Vietnamese troops, joined by U.S. advisers, rest after a cold, damp and tense night of waiting in an ambush position for a Viet Cong attack that didn’t come, January 1965.

[vietnam1969]

 

Today we honor Leroy Peagler of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who fell on this day in 1967. He is remembered by his daughter, Diane: 

"Missed and loved, never forgotten,,,,"

 

ame Leroy W Peagler Service Type Active Regular Service Name Army Rank Sergeant Paygrade E5 - E9 Occupation Infantryman Birthdate 11/14/1941 Gender Male Home City Philadelphia Home State Pennsylvania Home County Philadelphia Home Country United States Marital Status Married Religion Protestant No Denominational Preference Race White Casualty Country South Vietnam Casualty Region Asia Unit 1 Cav Div Airmobile Duty Code Unknown Incident Date 01/27/1967 Process Date 01/01/1967 Year of Death 1967 Conflict Vietnam Conflict Operation Type Combat Operation Name Southeast Asia Closure Date 01/27/1967 Death Type Non Hostile Death Casualty Type Deceased Casualty Category Accident Casualty Reason Other Accident Remains Recovered Body Remains Recovered Casualty Closure Buried Unknown Disposition Vietnam Wall 14e 088

Jan 29, 2014 - This U.S. military casualty and loss and/or MIA record for Leroy W Peagler is just one of over 130,000 found in our historical archive for the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, and War on Terrorism. Our archived military lists include officers as well as enlisted men and women, reservists, etc. Sources of our data are government and public collections and files. 

We have attempted to clean and organize malformed and misspelled names, enlistment data, dates, etc. Our unique approach to organizing historical military archives makes our data appropriate for research for the casual visitor as well as professional historians.

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Today we honor Dan Laverne Jenkins of Goldsboro, North Carolina, who fell on this day in 1969. He is remembered by his high school best friend, Bill:

"Today marks the 45th anniversary of the death of LCpl. Dan Laverne Jenkins. Double recipient of the Purple Heart, the second award was presented posthumously to his parents. Danny was my high school best friend and will always remain in the many memories we shared."

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On this day in 1968, The Tet Offensive begins - launched by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army. The North Vietnamese broke the ceasefire that had been called by both sides for the Vietnamese holiday of Tet (Lunar New Year), and conducted the largest and best coordinated military operation up to that point in the war. The offensive consisted of surprise attacks against military and civilian towns throughout South Vietnam, and even involved the short seize of The U.S. Embassy in Saigon. The offensive also played an important role in weakening U.S. public support for the war as it was closely observed by American television networks. 

[vietnam1969]

 

On this day in 1968, The Tet Offensive begins - launched by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army. The North Vietnamese broke the ceasefire that had been called by both sides for the Vietnamese holiday of Tet (Lunar New Year), and conducted the largest and best coordinated military operation up to that point in the war. The offensive consisted of surprise attacks against military and civilian towns throughout South Vietnam, and even involved the short seize of The U.S. Embassy in Saigon. The offensive also played an important role in weakening U.S. public support for the war as it was closely observed by American television networks. 

 

1968 Tet Offensive   Force KIA WIA MIA CIA US Forces 1,536 7,764 11 unknown ARVN 2,788 8,299 587 unknown NVA/VC 45,000 unknown unknown 6,991

[vietnam1969]

This is in remembrance for All those who gave their lives on this day in January of 1968

 

 

Shock and Awe of Tet Offensive Shattered U.S. IllusionsBy James. H. Willbanks

This week, we mark the 41st anniversary of the 1968 Tet Offensive, generally recognized as the watershed event of the U.S. war in Vietnam. The outcome of the offensive ultimately led to a major shift in American strategy from trying to defeat the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army to finding a way to disengage from the conflict. That being said, it is easy 41 years later to forget that the Tet Offensive was a crushing defeat for the Communist forces. It was simply the audacity and ferocity of the attack that caught American leaders so off guard and so shocked American TV viewers that the course of the war changed in an instant, ending the presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson in the process.

 

The preliminary phase of the offensive actually began with the attack on the Marine base at Khe Sanh on January 21. Ten days later, in the early morning hours of January 31, during the traditional Tet holiday truce, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces launched a massive countrywide attack on the cities and towns of South Vietnam. More than 80,000 Communist troops mounted a coordinated assault on five of six autonomous cities, including Saigon and Hue, 36 of 44 provincial capitals, 64 of 245 district capitals, and more than 50 hamlets.

The timing, magnitude, and violence of the attacks achieved maximum surprise and caught the South Vietnamese and American forces almost totally off guard. In one of the most spectacular actions, Viet Cong sappers attacked the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. A 19-man suicide squad seized the courtyard of the U.S. Embassy and held it for six hours until an assault force of U.S. paratroopers landed by helicopter on the building's roof and routed them. Although the attackers were all killed or captured, the television news footage of the battle on the embassy grounds shocked viewers back home in the United States.

Nearly a thousand Viet Cong were believed to have infiltrated Saigon and it took a week of intense fighting by an estimated 11,000 U.S. and South Vietnamese troops to dislodge them. Further to the north, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops seized the old imperial capital at Hue. It took almost a month of savage house-to-house fighting by U.S. Marines and South Vietnamese troops to retake the city.

The scope of the offensive stunned the White House, the media, and the American people. Adding to the impact of the surprise attacks was the fact that they followed in the wake of repeated reassurances from both the military and the Johnson administration that progress was being made in the war and that the end was in sight. Walter Cronkite, the CBS Evening News anchorman and perhaps the most trusted journalist in the nation, spoke for many Americans when he declared upon return from the battlefield at Hue that the bloody war in Vietnam was destined to "end in a stalemate."

Despite Cronkite's consternation, the allies had quickly recovered from the initial surprise of the Communist attacks and reacted in a strong manner. With the exception of the fighting that continued in Hue, parts of Saigon, and Khe Sanh, the opening phase of the offensive was crushed. By the end of March, the Communists had not achieved any of their objectives and had lost 32,000 soldiers and had 5,800 captured in the process. The general uprising among the South Vietnamese people for which the Communists had hoped never materialized. However, the bitter fighting took a heavy toll on allied forces; U.S. losses were 3,895 dead and the South Vietnamese suffered 4,954 killed in action.

The offensive, which extended in later phases into the early fall months of 1968, was a costly military defeat for the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese, whose casualties, by some estimates, would total more than 58,000 by year's end. However, the early reporting of a smashing Communist victory went largely uncorrected in the media, and this contributed to a great psychological victory for the Communists at the political level.

The boldness of the Communist offensive, the sensationalist reports from the media, and the heavy U.S. casualties incurred during the fighting, coupled with the disillusionment over earlier, overly optimistic reports of progress in the war by administration officials, including Gen. William C. Westmoreland, senior U.S. commander in Vietnam, accelerated the growing disenchantment with President Johnson's conduct of the war.

The reaction to the Tet Offensive provided new strength to the war protestors and led Democrats to challenge the president's leadership within his own party. It convinced Johnson that military victory in Vietnam was not attainable and forced a re-evaluation of American strategy. The president, frustrated with his inability to reach a solution in Vietnam, announced on March 31, 1968, that he would neither seek nor accept the nomination of his party for re-election. The Tet Offensive had effectively driven the sitting president from office. Thus, the offensive proved to be the turning point of the war that set into motion the events that would lead to Richard Nixon's election, the long and bloody U.S. withdrawal from Southeast Asia, and ultimately to the fall of South Vietnam in 1975.

Though a crushing defeat for the Communists, the Tet Offensive turned the tide in Vietnam and America

 

Edited January 31, 2014 by vietnam1969

[vietnam1969]

http://www.marinemedals.com/clausenraymond.htm       MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT ----RAYMOND M CLAUSEN JR.

 

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On this day in 1968, The Viet Cong attacks the U.S. Embassy with a 19-man suicide squad charging through. The Viet Cong temporarily occupied the grounds for six hours until U.S. paratroopers and reinforcements landed on the roof of the building and the Viet Cong were all killed or captured. Pictured: Two U.S. military policemen aid a wounded fellow MP during fighting in the U.S. Embassy compound in Saigon, Jan. 31, 1968, at the beginning of the Tet Offensive. 

Remember those who fell in the Vietnam War:http://bit.ly/1gOgRzU

(AP Photo/Hong Seong-Chan)

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On this day in 1968, Edward McKim made the ultimate sacrifice in the Quang Tri province, South Vietnam. He was from Dallas, Texas and a Sergeant in the Marine Corps.

Edward’s sister, Karen shared this remembrance: “I miss you so much that I cannot even describe my feelings. You would be so proud of me and of my daughters. They would love you as much as I do. I know in my heart that you are with the Lord so I am trying to be good so I can see you again. I love you and miss you Edward. xoxoxo.” 

[vietnam1969]

Edward Alton Mc Kim

Sergeant
D CO, 3RD MP BN, 1ST FORCE SVC RGT, FORCE LOG CMD, III MAF
United States Marine Corps
Dallas, Texas
March 24, 1944 to January 31, 1968
EDWARD A Mc KIM is on the Wall at Panel 36E, Line 27
See the full profile or name rubbing for Edward Mc Kim

 

   
 

 

      

 

[vietnam1969]

Edward A. McKimDate of death: Killed in Action
Home of record: Dallas Texas
Status: KIA
 

AWARDS AND CITATIONS

Silver StarSee more recipients of this award

Awarded for actions during the Vietnam War

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Sergeant Edward A. McKim (MCSN: 2058209), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with Company D, Third Military Police Battalion, Force Logistic Command, THIRD Marine Amphibious Force, in connection with operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. During early morning hours of 31 January 1968, a military compound in Quang Tri City suddenly came under heavy mortar, recoilless rifle, small arms, and automatic weapons fire from two battalions of North Vietnamese Army regulars. As the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of the compound's Marine Security Detachment, Sergeant McKim responded immediately and completely disregarded his own safety as he exposed himself to intense hostile fire to direct and adjust accurate 81-mm. mortar fire against enemy positions approximately 100 meters from the compound. During the attack he was wounded by hostile mortar fragments but continued to direct return fire against the North Vietnamese. Upon hearing cries for assistance from the injured, he ignored the enemy fire around him and unhesitatingly moved to the side of the casualties where he assisted in evacuating them from the hazardous area. Anticipating the possibility of a ground assault by the North Vietnamese Army force, he directed his mortar crews to continue their fire and maneuvered across the hazardous terrain to the sector of the perimeter which had suffered the most casualties. Displaying exceptional leadership and calm composure under fire, he reorganized the defensive positions and moved among his men, encouraging them and ensuring that adequate ammunition was available. Subsequently, he was mortally wounded when a North Vietnamese mortar round exploded within five meters of his position. By his courageous leadership, bold initiative, and selfless devotion to duty at great personal risk, Sergeant McKim inspired all who observed him and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Action Date: 31-Jan-68

Service: Marine Corps

Rank: Sergeant

Company: Company D

Battalion: 3d Military Police Battalion

Regiment: Force Logistic Command

Division: 3d Marine Amphibious Force