Should Cremated Remains Be Left At The Vietnam Wall?

Wikimedia

Stars and Stripes: Families have left cremated remains at the Vietnam Wall for decades. Now officials want them to stop.

WASHINGTON — When Vietnam veteran Gordon J. Castro died six years ago, his older brother, Leon, had him cremated and placed his remains in a specially inscribed, stainless-steel box.

He glued on Gordon's Purple Heart medal, his silver and blue Combat Infantryman Badge and a 1st Cavalry Division insignia.

Then he got into his Ford pickup, put the box on the passenger seat and drove from Corpus Christi, Texas to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., to fulfill his brother's wish that he be laid to rest at the Wall.

It was hard to leave him so far from home, Leon Castro said, but Gordon had said he "left the better part of himself" in Vietnam.

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WNU Editor: For me .... this is a tough one. My head says no .... do not do this. My heart says yes .... let families fulfill their loved one's wishes, and after placing their remains at the memorial have the Park authority treat the remains with respect by placing it somewhere else.

Vandals Deface Vietnam War Memorial In Los Angeles

CBS Los Angeles: Vandals Deface Vietnam War Memorial In Venice

VENICE (CBSLA.com) — Vandals defaced a memorial to Vietnam war veterans in Venice – an awful sight on this Memorial Day weekend.

Stewart Oscars welled up as he looked at the vandalized mural located on Pacific Avenue near Sunset Court. It was covered in graffiti from end to end.

“This knocked me out. So sickening. Just sadness…think of all these people. They’re gone,” Oscars said. “I remember the Vietnam war and how friends went to war, and bodies came back. Somehow, it has to be taught that this is not a good idea. This is actually stupid.”

The memorial was dedicated to service members who were listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War.

George Francisco is the Vice President of the Venice Chamber of Commerce. He also runs a nonprofit called Veterans Foundation Incorporated.

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WNU Editor: This is painful to watch. I am not an American and I do not live in the United States .... but it is moments like this that I can now understand why many Americans believe that the country is "on the wrong track".

Today Is Vietnam Veterans Day

This Ain't Hell: Vietnam Veterans Day

Today has been designated as Vietnam Veterans Day.

The Vietnam War used to be the longest war in our history until the media decided to call the war against terror our longest war. The war in Vietnam lasted from November 1955 until April 30, 1975, when Saigon collapsed. 3.4 million Americans served in the theater and 2,594,000 served in Vietnam and off it’s shores between 1965 and 1973. They were 9.7% of their generation. Only 38% of draftees served in Vietnam.

47,378 of the US military died in hostile actions. One nurse was KIA. 17,539 were married men. 17,725 were draftees. 5,977 were Reservists, 101 were National Guardsmen. 61% were aged less than 21 years.

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WNU Editor: Here is a link that should be book-marked .... Vietnam War Statistics & Exclusive Photos

Hat Tip to James for this link.

A Virtual Wall Of Photos For Fallen U.S. Soldiers Of The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C. on the morning of October 8, 2006. Wikipedia

Faces Of The Vietnam War: Lives Of Fallen Soldiers Celebrated On Virtual Wall That Aims To Eventually Display All 58,286 American Victims -- Daily Mail

* Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund was set up in 1979 to remember the Americans who lost their lives during the conflict
* The result was the 'Faces Never Forgotten' memorial which has become known as The Wall in Washington
* Photographs of the servicemen and women have now been uploaded to an online database
* The memorial fund are hoping to have a photograph for every service member who died by 2015

For 30 years a campaign group has been tirelessly gathering photographs of the 58,286 American servicemen and women who died during the Vietnam War.

Based in Washington, D.C. the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund was set up by a group of veterans who wanted to create a memorial from the American people for those who lost their lives during the conflict between 1965 and 1973.

The result was the 'Faces Never Forgotten' memorial - also known as The Wall - which shows the sheer magnitude of American casualties and serves as a place where family and friends of those who lost their lives can remember their loved ones.

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WNU Editor: Here are some related links:

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Page -- also a Registry
Vietnam Veterans Memorial -- Wikipedia
Vietnam Veterans Memorial -- Official NPS Website
Virtual Wall
Interactive Vietnam Veterans Memorial
View The wall
Photos of the Wall at "Sites of Memory"
The History Of The Wall
Vietnam Veterans Home Page

Vietnam Vet Who Helped Build The Vietnam Memorial Found Murdered

Early Supporter Of Vietnam Memorial Found Dead In Delaware Landfill -- Washington Post

A former Army officer and longtime government and business consultant who played a key role 30 years ago in erecting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was found dead in a Delaware landfill Friday in what police said was a homicide.

John P. Wheeler III, 66, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point whose civilian career included stints at the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Pentagon and an array of nonprofit organizations, had not been dead for long when his body was found in a Wilmington dump, police said.

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My Comment: This is very creepy.

More Cracks Discovered At Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

New Cracks Discovered In Wall At Vietnam Veterans Memorial -- Washington Post

A team of geophysicists has discovered a new series of cracks in the black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial, officials said Thursday.

The experts from Hager-Richter Geoscience were called in this week by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, which built the wall, after an unusual vertical crack was discovered late last year.

The consultants began inspecting the Wall on Monday and discovered more vertical cracks, said the fund's president and founder, Jan C. Scruggs.

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My Comment: Find the money and fix it.