California XLV

Outside the Offices of Traci Park in Westchester, CA is this memorial to those who served and those lost in 'Nam.

It honors those who served and those who paid the highest price.

25 are honored here with 19 being lost. That feels like an out of proportion loss to me.

I have requested information about what seems to be an astronomical proportion of the lost.

I will update if I find anything.

Next time, April 1, we will take another look at Canada. I found a couple of memorials on a trip there last fall. So, as always, join me there at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from California, or any other state, please click a state name on the left side of this page. Please note that Canada, Ireland and Puerto Rico have been added to the list.

Once more I will ask anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not shown here, to send then to me and I will include them (giving you full credit.) Any number of you have added knowledge and honor to this site by doing just that. It is always appreciated and makes this effort better, more completed. Thanks to those who have contributed and to anyone who will do so now or in the future.

Arizona XXXVI

I traveled along the road in San Manuel several time before I realized what I though was just a sign on the side of the road was actually a memorial to those who were lost in 'Nam.

 

Seven young men from the surrounding area gave all in 'Nam and are remembered and honored here.  I have some fears as the gas station seems to be abandoned, so I wonder who will watch over these heroes, although this seems to be in pretty good shape. I hope it remains that way.

I will return to this site to feature the men here in the not too distant future.

San Manuel is located about 45 miles northeast of Tucson and was originally built as a company town for a Copper mining outfit. In 2010 it had a population of 3551.

Next time, on the 27th, we will return to California, so join me there, as usual, at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from Arizona, or any other state, please click a state name on the left side of this page.

As always, I will ask anyone who has seen Vietnam memorials that are NOT seen here to please send them to me. I will be more than happy to share your photos and any information you may have about them. Recently Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Ron from Florida and a number of others have been kind enough to do this. You make this site better, more complete and I certainly appreciate your input. So, send them to the email on the left od to my personal email: ldddad@comcast.net.

St. Patrick's Day 2024

Today is St. Patrick's Day and I want to honor the many Irish who have stood side by side with us in various conflicts.

Records indicate that nearly 50% percent of The Continental Army were Irish.

In the Mexican American War there was formed The St. Patrick's Brigade (although some who served were European, not necessarily Irish) The Brigade numbered more than 200 in 1846.

Irish have a long history of fighting with the U.S. perhaps most notably at Gettysburg where monuments to Irish units abound. 200,000 Irish participated in the American Civil War: 180 thousand fought for the Union and 20,000 for the Confederacy. 23, 600 or 20% of the Union Navy were Irish.

Many Irish or of Irish descent served in both WWI and WWII.

27 Irish Soldiers and one Irish Marine never returned from Korea.

And, I have written previously of my failed efforts to find a memorial in Ennis, Ireland to the 30* Irish citizens who came, among the 2500 Irish, to fight in Vietnam and were lost. (I have since learned that it has, in fact been built and I hope to get to Ennis in the future to see it.)

*I have just learned from my friend Declan Hughes of Irish Veterans, Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland that the actual number has grown to 32. Declan is the man previously mentioned in my post about The Wall coming to Ireland and researching the names of the Irish heroes lost in 'Nam. I wrote a long post about this and you can read it here. Declan has been a wonderful source of information for me as I pursued this topic. Thank you, Declan!

Here are the 30 names of Irish lost on the memorial at Ennis.

Photo used by permission of Irish Vietnam Memorial Project

Photo used by permission of Irish Vietnam Memorial Project

IRISH WHO LOST THEIR LIVES WITH U.S. FORCES VIETNAM

Sgt Patrick Christopher ‘Christy’ Nevin, US Army

L/Cpl Paul Ivan Maher, US Marine Corps

SP4 Timothy Daly, US Army

L/Cpl Bernard Anthony Freyne, US Marine Corps

SP4 Michael Francis Smith, US Army

SP4 John Coyle, US Army

Cpl Patrick ‘Bob’ Gallagher, US Marine Corps

Sgt/FC Edward Michael Howell, US Army

PFC Maurice Joseph O’Callaghan, US Marine Corps

Cpl Terence Patrick FitzGerald, US Army

PFC John Patrick Collopy, US Army

SP4 Edward Anthony Scully, US Army

Capt Edmond J. Landers, US Army

1/Lt Anthony Paul O’Reilly, US Army

Second Lieutenant Pamela Dorothy Donovan, US Army Nurse Corps

Spec. 5 Michael Noel Faherty,

Cpl Philip Sean Bancroft, US Marine Corps

SP4 Brian Francis McCarthy, US Army

Cpl Sean T. Doran, US Army

L/Cpl Peter Mary Nee, US Marine Corps

1/Lt John Cecil Driver, US Army

RD3 Martin S Doherty, US Navy

Sgt Arthur Fisher, US Marine Corps

 

IRISH KILLED SERVING WITH AUSTRALIANS

Rifleman George Nagle, 9th Royal Australian Regiment

Driver/Signalman David G. Doyle, 3 Cavalry Regiment

Sgt Robert Fleming, 1st RAR and 1st Australian Reinforcement Regiment

Sgt Thomas Birnie, 2nd Royal Australian Regiment

 

IRISH IN CANADIAN UNIFORM (MIA)

Sgt. James Sylvester Byrne, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps

 

IRISH WORKING FOR US AID

Michael Murphy, Office of Public Safety, US AID, Advisor to South Vietnamese Police Field Forces

 

IRISH WORKING FOR AIR AMERICA

Patrick Factna McCarthy, Served with the Marines in Vietnam before joining Air America.

 

Here are the two names added since the memorial was completed

 L/Cpl Joseph Aloysius Clancy, US Marine Corps

MSG Patrick Joseph McCabe, US Army 

In addition, approximately 50% of the names on the Wall are of Irish origin!

I found this article on-line written by the Jim Otto, President of The Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division One

 https://www.stlhibernians.com/History2/usmilitary2.html

So as you raise a pint or two to St. Patrick today, remember those Irish who gave their all and raise one to them as well.

Next time, on the 22nd, we will venture back to Arizona, so meet me there, as always, at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from Ireland, or any of the 50 states, please click a state name on the left side of this page.

As always, I will ask anyone who has seen Vietnam memorials that are NOT seen here to please send them to me. I will be more than happy to share your photos and any information you may have about them. Recently Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Ron from Florida and a number of others have been kind enough to do this. You make this site better, more complete and I certainly appreciate your input. So, send them to the email on the left od to my personal email: ldddad@comcast.net.

Thank you!

Wisconsin XVIII

It has been quite a long time since I was in Wisconsin and until I have the chance to return I am going to keep referring back to the info that Joan Geraldson sent me. Joan stumbled across this site and sent me a number of photos that she took of the Wisconsin memorial that travels around the State. It honors many and reminds all who see it to remember the bravery, service, and sacrifice made by those to whom it pays tribute.

Called Wisconsin Remembers it was part of the effort to gather a photo for every name on The Wall. that was part of the effort to build an Education Center at the Wall. That effort was never completed, but you can see all the faces collected at The Wall of Faces.( https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/)

These men among all the others here made the supreme sacrifice.

As always, I will feature only a few at a time as to give them their due.

                                                          

I will post additional photos of the heroes from Wisconsin over time.

Next time, on the 17th, I hope to have a special St. Patrick's Day post, so, join me here, as always, at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from Wisconsin, or any other state, please click a state name on the left side of this page.

I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me just like Joan did! (Thanks again to Joan and all the others who have helped to make this site better by contributing.) I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left, or any place else for that matter. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks.

West Virginia XIX

Another visit to Morgantown HS in West Virginia. I have been featuring the photos of the young men lost as actual photographs on memorials is actually quite rare. Once I featured one set, it seemed only right to honor them all.

There are eighteen faces on this memorial, so there will be a couple more of these posts in the future.

Two days after his 20th birthday

These men and so many others must not be forgotten. It is said that as long as someone speaks your name, you are never gone.

Speak their names!

Next time, on the 12th, we will travel back to Wisconsin to honor some additional faces from another unusual memorial. So, join me there, as always, at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from West Virginia, or any other state, please click a state name on the left side of this page.

I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left, or any place else for that matter. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks.

Virginia XXXII

Last September I wrote about my visit to VFW Post 9274 in Falls Church, VA. ( you can see that post here.)

While there I was surprised to find this small tribute to a single guy. I wondered who he was.

It is shocking to me just how little information I found about David Strickler. He was an Army Corporal and was lost in a mortar/rocket attack at Kontum in April 1968. That is about it.

The plaque is seen on the base of the flag pole

 

 

That, I guess, is why these memorials are important. Without them, we would just be forgotten. I guess over enough time, that is just what happens, but, for now, I will continue to catalogue, honor, and remember. When we are all gone, I hope this site will last, Lest we forget.

Next time, on the 7th, we will venture back to West Virginia, so, meet me there, as always, at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from Virginia, or any other state, please click a state name on the left side of this page.

I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left, or any place else for that matter. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks.