Dog Tags of the some 58,220 Americans we lost in Vietnam
The dog tags of the more than 58,000 service men and women who died in the Vietnam War, were hung from the ceiling of the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago on Veterans Day, November 11, 2010. The 10-by-40-foot sculpture, entitled Above & Beyond, was designed by Ned Broderick and Richard Stein.
Class of 1950
“Charles L. Butler”
17764 Killed in Action June 21, 1972 in An Loc, Viet Nam
“Carl Berg Mitchell”
17450 Killed in Action 14 January 1964
Cully was posthumously awarded the nation’s second highest medal for valor, the Air Force Cross, – the citation read:
“Major Carl B. Mitchell distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism during low-level flight operations against heavily defended enemy positions. Despite heavy machine gun fire, which repeatedly struck his aircraft, Major Mitchell aggressively continued his efforts to locate and destroy the machine gun installations until his badly damaged aircraft crashed and burned.”
“Bobby Gene Vinson”
17575 Missing in Action in Vietnam on 24 Apr 1968
Probably his most notable football feats were a 98-yard intercepted pass return in 1948 and a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the 1949 Army-Navy game. He was number one in the plebe class in physical aptitude and could take on the best heavyweights in boxing and wrestling.
In Korea flew 100 combat missions in FA-84s the same way he played football – with 100% commitment, 100% fearless.
Class of 1952
Class of 1954
“Rox Shain” His fighter went down and Rox was never recovered. In the ’54 Game Rox was yanked off the Cadet Train as it pulled into Philly, was suited up and his resultant odd kick off style resulted in a Navy fumble which was recovered by Army.
Class of 1956
“Donald Walter Holleder”
Class of 1959
Class of 1962
Glen arranged for some 20 of us at the Advance Coarse to fly up to West Point to be with Mike when he was interned.
Class of 1963
“Larry Britten”
4 Comments
I can’t find of those killed after the class of ’63. ??
I was an Second Lt. ex and fo with b battery 3/82 artillery ,at firebase east ,from October 1968 to March 1969. I understand Captain Karl W. Mills was killed when this firebase was overrun. I believe Captain Jerry Brown , another West Poiint Grad was my battery Commander . I left three months before the base was overrun. I would care to speak to my former battery Commander. I was an fo for Company B 3/21 196 LIB AMERICAL DIV.
Richard – I have looked through the Roster of West Point Graduates and can not find a Jerry or Gerald Brown which fits the time frame. I could not find a Grad with a J or G as a middle name – again which fits the time frame. Have you gone to the Americal Div Web Site (If there is one)?
The Best Phil
I knew LTC Charles Butler, class of 1950. We were together in the US. military mission to Brazil 1969-1970. i was an 18-year old Sp4 and he an lTC who must have been 42 or 43. He graduated from West Point the year I was born. We both were born in Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. How that came out I don’t even remember. I moved on to the 173rd Airborne Brigade at LX English in Vietnam in 1970 and did not even know he was killed in action until 1998 or so. What people may not realize is that he graduated from USMA in may, 1950 and was in Korea a few months later. He got a Silver Star for valor in a battle in November, 1950, in which he was very badly wounded. You can Google Charles Butler Silver Star to read the citation. I am always a bit surprised by people who are wounded badly early in their military careers and yet stay in and go into mortal danger again. I did not work closely with CTC Butler, but he always treated me very well and I admired him as an officer and still do. (I went on to 29 years USAR duty, mostly in the 205th Infantry Brigade, got a direct commission and now am a retired USAR infantry major. LTC Butler and LTG Richard. J. Seitz have always been officer I admired and tried to emulate.