Our Post has compiled a list of every Tennessee veteran killed in the Vietnam War by town or city.
We also have photos of every veteran killed in the war who was from Tennessee.
To obtain a copy of the DVD, which shows the photos, with music, or of a printed booklet
please contact:
Kimberly King
flygal46@yahoo.com

Coast Guard killed: 7

Air Force: 2,586

Army: 38,224

Navy: 2,559
67 were Chief Petty Officers

Marines: 14,844

Races:

White: 49,830

African American: 7,243

Hispanic: 349

All others: 798

~ The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 -
245 deaths.

~ In the Vietnam war, 304,000 were wounded
with 75,000 being severely disabled.

~ The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968:
2,415 casualties were incurred.

~ Most deaths were age 20 with 14,095 killed

~ Most killed were in the Army with 38,209

~ Most were Killed in Action (KIA) by gun fire.

~ Still unaccounted for: 1,590

Captain William Robinson
The longest held enlisted prisoner of war in Vietnam; 7 1/2 years.

Colonel Floyd James Thompson
The longest held officer prisoner of war in Vietnam; 4 days short of 9 years.

James Allen Treece
Unaccounted for; Memphis, TN

~ Missing In Action -MIA - from Tennessee: 27

~ In World War II there were roughly 40 days of combat to every 4 years service.
In Vietnam there were 240 days of combat to every 1 year of service!

~ Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, all aided the United States in the war.

~ Of those who served in the Vietnam war, the vast majority were volunteers and not drafted.
Three quarters of the veterans who served between 1965 and 1973 were volunteers.

2,700,000 were volunteers.
Of the total, 1,800,000 were drafted.

When asked, 74% said they would serve again.

~ Of those discharged, 97% hold an honorable discharge.

~ The unemployment rate for Vietnam War Veterans was 4.8% compared to
6.2% for the rest of America.

~ 85% of the Vietnam War Veterans made a successful transition to civilian life.

~ Combat troops deployed to Vietnam between the dates of March 1965 and August 1973.
However the official start date for the conflict was 1 November 1955.

~ The official end date is 30 April 1975 even though direct involvement in combat ended on
15 August 1973.

~ The Vietnam War was never called a "war" as congress never declared it a, quote, "war".
Rather it was a "conflict" even though we were essentially at war.

Ho Chi Minh

~ The main cause of the war between North and South Vietnam was because the Communist government
of North Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh, who sought the reunification of the two countries following World War II
when they were divided.

A guerrilla war by the Viet Cong was raged against anti-communist leader, Ngo Dina Diem in South Vietnam.
The United States entered to halt the spread of communism in Indochina.

President Trump signed the "Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017.
This legislation designated 29 March as National Vietnam War Veterans Day.

Please click here to read President Donald Trump's
Vietnam War 50th Anniversary Presidential Proclamation.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, some 45 states,
including Puerto Rico, were recognizing a Vietnam Veterans Day either on 29 or 30 March.
Ohio has a Vietnam Veterans Day on 30 March.

The National Conference of State Legislatures notes that 29 March is a more appropriate date.
On that date in 1973, the last combat troops withdrew from Vietnam
and the last POWs (Prisoners of War) arrived in America.
President Nixon chose 29 March as the first Vietnam Veterans Day in 1974.

Ray Saikus, a Vietnam veteran, waged a long battle to get Vietnam Veterans Day
on the state and national level. He is quoted as saying,
"The service and sacrifice of our nation's defenders,
and their families, should never be forgotten."

National Vietnam War Veterans Day honors the men and women who served and sacrificed
during the longest conflict in U.S. history. Many did not receive the respect they deserved
upon returning to American soil. This holiday makes it possible for all of us
to show our gratitude for those who were drafted or served our country
when asked to step up to the plate.

Toy Soldier Project

(Click on the photo for a larger view of the display)

The dedication ceremony for the Toy Soldier Project was held on 28 March 2019
in conjunction with our Vietnam-Era Veterans Honors Dinner.

This project began in May of 2018 by the members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10904 in Manchester.
The goal was to collect one toy soldier for every American veteran killed in the Vietnam war.
To achieve this, schools, churches, children, veterans, organizations and the general public, all contributed to the project.

The collection of toy soldiers was competed in November 2018.

The first miracle of this project was in its construction. All American Enterprises, in Altamont TN,
built the display case. The wood to build it was not specific, but when the wood arrived, Micah Roberts,
the owner, discovered that every piece of wood
was stamped "Made in Vietnam."

The second miracle was that every single toy soldier collected for this project was used.
The most amazing fact of this project was that we did not have a single toy soldier extra or short.
Every single toy soldier collected was used totaling 58,479.

The dark gray laminate covering the wood is reflective of the granite used in the Vietnam Veterans Wall in Washington DC.

The 8 pink toy soldiers represent the 8 women veterans killed in the Vietnam War.

We did not specify the size of the soldiers. Some are as small as a half inch while others are as large as 4 inches.

Several of the toy soldiers have names written on the base. Anyone who contributed to the project was told they
could write the name of a loved one on the base. These are now a permanent part of the display.

The display was built on casters so it may be brought to veterans events around the state if needed.

The display will be permanently housed at the Coffee County Veterans Building at 130 Shelton Road.

Display of the Eight Women Veterans Killed in the Vietnam War

Designed and constructed by the Engineering students of
Weatherford High School; Weatherford, Texas

(Please click on the photo above for a larger view of the display)

The display was constructed by the high school students of Weatherford High School in Weatherford TX.

The project took about 3 months to complete.

The display is of the 8 women veterans, all nurses, killed.

Their names are on the Vietnam Wall in Washington DC.

Each of the 8 women veterans displayed was done
by an individual student.

Each figure took the student a month to create and figure.

Each was printed on a 2014 model 3D printer.

The students used geometry to figure the frame and base
which was cut at their wood shop.
A laser engraver was used for the wording.

Topics learned by the students were:
~ Partial history of the Vietnam war
~ Teamwork
~ Time management
~ Production management
~ Last, but most importantly... dedication to a project for a cause

American Legion Gold Star Post 78 Vietnam War Display

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 90 Vietnam War Display