Daily Wall: March 12

There are over 58,000 people who's names are currently listed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall.

I am listing them all, day by day, until I have gone through each and every one of them.

I am not cut/pasting these names, I feel a responsibility to type each of them individually. If you see any mistakes or omissions, please let me know so I can promptly correct them.

I encourage you to read them aloud, or at least read them all, each day.

We will never forget.

Glenn E Kollmann

______

Joseph D Adrian  1967

Paul T Arambula  1968

Gerald T Atkinson  1968

Kenneth J Auston  1970

Bernd Bachelda  1968

Raymond J Baker  1971

Charles W Barrett  1967

James W Bettis  1968

Anthony M Blas  1970

Kenneth A Bodell  1966

Lawrence A Branigan  1968

Fred J Bridges Jr  1969

Thomas Bright Jr  1969

Richard P Bruce  1968

Stephen F Burlingame  1967

Lester V Cafiero Jr  1970

Andrew T Castelda  1967

Harland G Clausen Jr  1967

Lenard Coleman  1968

Clifford M Cork  1969

Harlan M Craft  1969

Jackie L Crosby  1969

Charles H Cummings  1970

Leonard D Cunningham  1970

Stephen R Cunningham  1968

Jerry L Danay  1971

Jay T Dandurand  1970

Aaron L Darr  1970

Dudley Davis  1970

Lewis R Dorsey  1968

Nils A Drennen  1967

Richard L Dunlap  1968

Richard H Durant  1970

Leon G Edwards  1968

Lawrence R Esser  1969

Albert J Farrell Jr  1970

Thomas R Fleming  1968

Ronald L France  1969

James A Franklin  1969

Jerry W Fraze  1968

Loius W Frericks  1969

Jose O Garcia  1970

Boyd G Garner  1967

James A Gazze  1969

James C Gilbert  1969

Joseph J Gomez  1971

Edwin R Goodrich Jr  1967

Charles W Graham  1968

Jerry L Green  1968

John G Griffith  1968

Terry E Guenther  1970

Thomas E Hacker  1969

Joel T Hageman  1971

Walter J Hapton  1970

Edward J Haugen  1969

George F Hayes  1968

Melvin Hazley  1971

Daniel N Heater  1970

Garlin J Henderson Jr  1970

Michael W Hill  1971

William L Holland Jr  1968

Edward W Holmes  1970

Lamar Horne  1967

Alan R Hosnedle  1969

Louis H Huff II  1968

Warner P Hughie  1970

Richard Hutchinson Jr  1967

Paul E Irvin  1969

Frank Jacaruso  1970

Paul H Jackson Jr  1969

Clive G Jeffs  1971

Franklin A Johnson  1969

Robert E Johnson  1969

Ronald L Johnston  1967

William A Jones  1968

Van J Joyce  1971

Stephen E Karopczyc  1967

Joseph M Knoblock Jr  1968

Glenn E Kollmann  1968

Jerry D Kuney  1971

William T Lafield Jr  1971

Franklin M Lanier  1969

Rodney J Lawson  1968

James R Ledbetter  1968

Willie B Lee  1968

Olin J Leonard  1970

William E Lilienthal  1968

La M Major  1967

Elmo Marinelli  1967

John L Mattock  1968

William T McCormick  1970

Randall L McElreath  1968

Patrick M McInerney  1969

Gary D McNicol  1970

Jeffery E Mead  1968

Jack W Messer  1970

Harold Metcalf  1968

Daniel V Michel  1968

Felton L Mims  1969

Filiberto G Miranda  1967

Nazir Mohammed  1971

Jose S Montemayor  1968

Fred A Moody  1969

Gary L Moore  1969

William C Moorhouse  1970

Terry L Moser  1970

Robert W O'Donnell  1968

Jimmy Odeneal  1971

Samuel T Owen  1971

John P Pappin  1970

Dalmacio P Pascua Jr  1969

Paul J Peoples  1969

Gary W Perkins  1968

James P Perrone Jr  1967

Robert C Plammons  1968

Benito A Ponce  1970

Thomas C Prange  1969

John A Ramirez  1969

David G Rankin  1969

Michael R Reber  1971

Charles J Revis  1969

Danny D Rhoads  1967

Fred E Richards  1969

Lemond Richardson  1969

Gordon R Rightler  1967

Floyd H Robinson  1969

Donald R Robison  1968

Edward F Rogers  1968

Victor J Ruggero Jr  1967

Franklin J Runge  1969

Norman S Saliman  1969

Henry C Sanders  1969

Charles D Saylor  1967

Roosevelt Scott  1967

Gary B Scull  1970

Robert E Shaffer  1969

Gerald D Shanor  1970

Ronny D Shattuck  1970

Sigmond M Sikorski  1969

Benjamin E Slagowski  1971

Earl S Snyder  1969

Estel D Spakes  1968

Robert E Spires  1969

Douglas W Stegall  1967

Richard J Stewart  1968

Harold E Stoelt  1966

Mitchell W Stout  1970

John R Strohmaier  1968

Raymond W Teal  1970

Gerald L Tharp  1969

Tyrone G Thoman  1969

Veney E Thompson  1970

Richard L Thompson Jr  1969

Robert W Thorne  1971

Carlos V Trevino  1968

Tommy L Trimble  1969

Chalres J Turri  1969

Franciso L Valle  1968

Robert L van Gieson  1967

Kyle Waldrop  1969

Ralph L Washington  1968

Kenneth M Watkins  1968

David R Welch  1970

Gerald Welsch  1971

William T Wheeler  1969

Gordon G White  1969

Jerry O Young  1969

Thomas A Zimmerman  1969

Daily Wall: February 19

There are over 58,000 people who's names are currently listed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall.

I plan on listing them all, day by day, until I have gone through each and every one of them.

I am not cut/pasting these names, I feel a responsibility to type each of them individually. If you see any mistakes or omissions, please let me know so I can promptly correct them.

I encourage you to read them aloud, or at least read them all, each day.

We will never forget.

Robert F Ronca

_____

Edwin A Ackerman Jr.  1969

Timothy C Agard  1968

Steven R Anderson  1968

Warnell E Aten  1969

Joseph T Bailey  1968

Ronald D Bapp  1968

Jackie W Barnwell  1971

Thomas M Blackwell  1969

Tony P Blanks  1967

Michael V Bludworth  1970

Larry A Bodell  1969

William E Boone  1968

Dean W Borrousch  1970

William M Branock  1967

Robert J Bridges Jr.  1964

Brian C Brown  1967

Ashland F Burchwell  1968

Alex L Burgess  1968

Curtis E Burkett  1971

Alex L Burgess  1968

Curtis E Burkett  1971

Leonard C Burris  1967

Dan R Byham  1969

Anthony J Caraccilo Jr.  1971

William R Coggins  1970

Stephen Cohan  1968

Timothy L Collier  1968

Elzie J Collins Jr.  1966

Dickey L Cooley  1970

James W Dalton  1969

Robert L Dalton  1971

Albert Dandridge  1968

Larry W Darling  1968

Bill W Deetz  1968

Charles M Downs  1969

Melvin C Dye  1968

Howard L Early 1969

Kenneth P Ehnis  1968

Michael W Elben  1968

Terrence E Fedor  1968

James L Felty  1968

William M Fernandez  1971

Joseph K Fish  1968

Daniel J Foster  1969

James C Foster  1968

Charles Foulks Jr.  1969

Earnest W Fowlke  1968

Hurshel Frasur  1966

George R Fuller  1968

Thomas H Furnish  1970

Ronald S Gaffney  1965

Gerald W Gannon  1967

Gary R Genth  1969

John H Gfeller  1968

Paul A Gilbert  1966

Douglas J Glover  1968

Gerald A Gray  1971

Freddie W Green   1966

Robert D Griffis  1968

Robert S Griffith  1968

Rickie N Gunderson  1969

James R Hardin  1970

Ronnie Harrell  1968

Ronald W Harrill  1967

Larry T Harrison  1970

Bobby R Hatfield  1968

Ronald J Hillman  1969

Ralph E Hines  1967

John M Hoelscher  1966

Roger L Hogston  1967

William W Hook  1968

Kenneth E Hornbaker  1968

James L Hull  1971

Phillip F Hurts  1970

John R Huscher  1968

Charles R James  1969

Jack L James  1966

William Jenkins  1968

Benjamin F Johnson III  1968

Charles D Jones  1969

Timothy J Kapoun  1968

Ronald M Kenny  1966

Martin R Knight  1968

Richard Knight  1967

John A Kucich  1969

Ronald B Lanning  1968

Kenneth W Lanter  1966

David H Lewis  1968

Peter J Liberati  1967

Thomas E Lilley  1968

Robert C Lilly  1966

Thomas J Loback  1968

Bernard F Lukasik  1964

John B Madison 1968

Vanny C Mahana  1967

Ernest Mahoney  1968

Charles R Main  1969

Abrael Maldonado  1969

Clifford W Marshall  1971

Jimmie R Marshall  1970

Donald F Marshall  II  1968

Charles J Martin  1968

Johnnie Mason  1967

Charles T Matthews  1971

E.G. Mays Jr.  1969

Sylvester McCullough  1968

Herman McKinnie  1968

William L McMahon  1968

Clarence Medley  1966

John E Milanowski  1968

Leonard A Monnett  1971

Manuel T Montoya  1970

Dale W Moore  1967

Larry R Moore  1968

Thomas J Moore  1968

James E Mullins  1968

William L Myers  Jr.  1967

Raymond L Naylor  1966

Daniel A Nelson  1968

George K Newman  1966

Michael W Norman  1968

Timothy J Norman  1970

Billy R Norris  1968

Charles D Nowlin  1967

William O'Shea II  1969

Richard D Odaffer  1968

Charles E Olson  1968

Gregory A Parsons  1970

John Pass III  1968

Walter M Patterson  1968

James D Pentland  1968

David A Pitts  1968

John W Poe  1969

Seventy J Pollock  1968

Donald B Pope  1967

 Salvatore V Porcaro  1967

Carl A Rattee  1968

Michael J Reinhold  1968

Lester W Robbins  1967

John T Roberson  1968

Richard S Roberts  1968

Raymond Rodriguez  1968

Donald P Roemer  1968

Robert Q Roentsch  1966

Wade Rollins  1971

Robert F Ronca  1965

Michael T Rowe  1969

Terry L Schaub  1968

David A Schneider  1969

Grady Scott  1968

Robert W Seaton  1968

Jonn J Seery  1969

William R Siebert  1968

Ronald D Shaff  1969

Richard A Sharpe  1968

William C Shumate  1968

Adrian E Sigler  1968

Bobbie E Sikes  1968

Jerry D Sisco Jr.  1968

Barry W Smith  1969

Bernard E Smith  1968

Lyle E Smith  1971

Roy M Smith  1971

Joseph S Sobczak II  1968

Enrique L Soliz  1968

Jerry D Stewart  1966

Roy D Stoffregen  1969

Robert T Sudduth  1970

Wilton J Sullinger Jr.  1968

Steven D Tanner  1969

Lucien C Tessier  1968

Francis S Torre  1968

James E Tucker Jr.  1971

Robert E Tyner  1968

Barton J Uplinger  1968

Alfred Valdez  1968

Francisco N Valdez  1971

Thomas C Vaughan  1968

Elton R Venable  1969

Kevin E ver Pault  1968

Douglas J Wade  1966

Melvin U Wanageshik  1968

Michael W Warren  1968

Richard L Waycaster  1969

James R Webster Jr.  1968

Richard A Whitmore  1970

Mack H Wilhelm  1969

Douglas C Williams  1968

Archie V Willis  1968

Harold S Wilson  1967

Robert G Wimp  1969

Jimmy D Winchester  1968

Darrell G Wood Jr.  1970

Clayton L Woods  1971

Arkie J Wright  1968

Howard E Wright  1969

Johnie J Wright Jr.  1967

Larry B Wynne  1967

Listed alphabetically by day of loss  

Remembering the Men of the 7406th

The 7406 Support Squadron was activated Rhein-Main Air Base, West Germany in May of 1955. By 1958, they had converted from the RB50-E Super-fortress (a post WW2 revision of the B-29) over to the new C-130A-II Hercules recon aircraft. They had been modified specifically for reconnaissance work.

On September 2, 1958, one of these aircraft took off from Incirlik Airbase in Turkey for a routine mission along the Turkish-Armenian border. It had a crew of 6 along with 11 members of the USAF Security Services. They were flying a route parallel to the Soviet border, not to get closer than 100 miles. The crew reported in over Trabzon, Turkey and then acknowledged a weather report from there. No other communication was made by the crew after that.

It is assumed that they confused a navigational beacon from the USSR with similar beacons from Trabzon that they had been briefed on. Once over Soviet airspace they were confronted by 4 MiG 34 miles NW of Yerevan, Armenia. The 4 MiGs took turns firing at the unarmed C-130 until they shot it down. It took 33 years for the Soviets to release this fact. They initially claimed that it just inexplicably fell from the sky of its own accord.

Of the 17 men on board, the Soviets only returned the remains of the six crew members(five of which were identified). They denied the existence of the remaining 11 and they were never returned.

We remember these 17 men who perished that day, 57 years ago. They died honorably while serving their country.

We will never forget you.

CPT Paul E Duncan

MSG George P Petrochilos

TSG Arthur L Mello

SSG Leroy Price

A1C Robert J Oshinskie

A2C Archie T Bourg Jr.

A2C James E Feguson Jr.

A2C Joel H Fields 

A2C Harold T Kamps

A2C Gerald C Maggiacomo

A2C Clement O Mankins

A2C Gerald H Medeiros

A2C Robert H Moore

CPT John E Simpson

CPT Rudy J Swiestra

CPT Edward J Jeruss

1LT Ricardo M Vallareal

The Ghost Blimp

On this day, August 16, 1942, one of the oddest stories from WW2 occurred. Lt. Ernest Cody and Ens. Charles Adams took off from Treasure Island near San Francisco in the US Navy blimp, L-8. Their mission was aerial recon of the west coast, mainly sub hunting. What followed remains a mystery even today.

There is a great website dedicated to telling this story much better than I could. CheckSix.com

All I can add is how thankful I am for Cody and Adams. These two men were in a very dangerous position due to the fact that they were practically defenseless in their ship. Cody left a wife behind and both men were respected Navy men who were missed by their fellow crew and friends and family.

Lt. Ernest Cody

Ensign Charles Adams

The Inspiration

This series of posts on facebook (which somehow deleted one of them) is what inspired me to create this blog and facebook page to see where I could take this. Day 3 is missing and I wont try to re-create it. It concerned World War II veterans.




One of my favorite holidays is coming up and I shall participate by being thankful every day up to the actual day. So, for day one (I'm a day behind, so you get two today). I am thankful for all of the brave men who, against all odds, stood up to a tyrant king and fought for their independence. Not only for theirs, but for all of their fellow countrymen of the time. All of us have benefited from their desire to be a free people and should never forget those long dead who stood up then for us now. Thank you to all of those who fought for our independence in the Revolutionary War.

Day 2: Thank you to all of our veterans, past and present who served as POW's. The circumstances you endured during your service to our country were in most cases, abhorrent. To say thank you, seems so much less than the sentiment that I truly wish to impart to you. I cannot imagine the hell that you were put through. You deserve to be honored so much more than you are. Thank you American POW's.

Day 4: I'm thankful for the veterans who fought in the Korean War. It is often called the forgotten war. We cannot let those who fought there ever feel forgotten. A nation who forgets those who fought for it will soon herself be forgotten. These vets fought in some of the most harsh conditions of any war we've fought. a very large percentage lost limbs, not from combat injuries, but from frostbite. Most of these folks are now in their 70's. I'm so very thankful every time I get to meet one of them. They are not to be forgotten in my lifetime!

Day 5: I am thankful for the veteran's that served during peacetime. War is hell, for sure, but serving during peacetime is no less important. In fact, one of the reasons we have had periods of peace is because of our superior, well prepared military. The vets that have served in occupied places around the world were there to KEEP peacetime a reality. They were just one chaotic, lunatic inspired situation from being involved in conflict, every day of their service. That cannot be an easy reality. So to all of you, I say thank you!

Day 6: Vietnam Veterans. I have so much respect for these guys. They were treated like garbage after returning home from a true nightmare. Shunned by the country that they fought so hard for. Made to feel less than human by so many who shouted and spit at them. They deserve to be honored. They deserve to be lifted up into the annals of American History as some of the most revered heroes we ever sent to war. At the very least, they deserve to be thanked and acknowledged for what they did and endured. Thank you sir. Thank you...

Day 7: I'm thankful for vets who are in the business of helping other vets. Chris Kyle comes to mind. His mission was helping vets who were suffering and having a hard time adjusting back to civilian life. Organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project who help vets in need. Vets who volunteer at hospitals and rehab facilities, helping wounded soldiers get back to as normal a life as they can. Vets like numerous motorcycle clubs that do all kinds of charity events to help those in need, fallen brothers and their families. Veterans like these and countless other groups and individuals have made it part of their lives to be there for other vets in need. They are absolutely priceless. Thank you to all who continue to serve in this manner.

Day 8: There have been 3463 recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. If you read the citations of these heroes, you'll find they come from every branch of service, from many different ranks, different nationalities, served in many different conflicts and were probably different in many other ways. One similarity you will find in all of them is that they put their lives on the line for their fellow soldiers. Many of them died in doing so. They found themselves in a situation where they could have very easily just panicked and did nothing. But they didn't. They moved forward and took charge, doing what they felt they had to do. To them, I would imagine if you could ask them, they had no choice. The choice was to act, at that moment, in a way that went well beyond what an otherwise normal person might do. These heroes did some amazing things and saved many, many lives in the process. For these veterans, 78 which are still living, I am very thankful. I would imagine that there have been many, many others who directly benefited from their actions, who are incredibly thankful and say they owe their lives to these men(and one woman). Thank you for doing what you would say was "just your job". You are truly great American heroes.

Day 9: I am thankful for the veterans that have been fighting the war on terror for the last number of years. I think these folks have faced an enemy unlike any we've ever encountered. As a result of some of the tactics they've faced, some have been damaged in ways we never really thought about. The psychological impact has been devastating to many. I can't imagine the hell they've been through. I have read several books from vets on this subject and the impact is not figurative, in the least, it is very real and widespread. That vets that have had to deal with this and other unnecessary negative consequences is tragic in many ways. I cannot thank them enough for what they have done and dealt with and continue to deal with.

Day 10: I am thankful for all of you that I know personally that have served in the United States Armed Forces. If I try to name all of you, I would undoubtedly forget someone. From those of you I went to school with, to those I have known since childhood, to those I have worked with, to those of you I have gone to church with, to those all of you whom I call friend, thank you! Thank you for giving part of your life to the service of our country. Thank you for doing your part to try and keep me free to say all the things I say. Thank you for making me proud to be able to call you my friends! I love you all.

Day 11: I have mentioned in the last 10 days, countless veterans. I appreciate them all and what they have done for our country. I'd like to add one more on this final day of my thanking, my father. Without a doubt the veteran that means the most to me. I love you Dad.