Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I need directions to the Wall

A: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is located near the Washington Memorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C. For maps and directions use

Map Quest Here

Q: Where is the Wall located on the National Mall?

A: The Wall is located between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, along Constitution Avenue between 21st and 23rd Streets.

Map of the National Mall

Q: Who owns TheWall-USA.com?

A: TheWall-USA.com was created in 1996 by the late Alan Oskvarek, a disabled Vietnam Vet, as a tribute to the dead and missing from Vietnam. In 2001 when ill-health made it impossible for him to continue maintaining the web site, it was purchased by an individual who donated it to the 4th Battalion 9th Infantry Regiment Manchu (Vietnam) Association a non-profit organization of Vietnam combat veterans.

Q: Who maintains the site?

A: The site is maintained by unpaid volunteer from the 4/9 Infantry Manchu (Vietnam) Association which relies on donations by its members and visitors to the Wall-USA to cover the costs of operation.

Q: Some of the information on your web site is incorrect can you change it?

A: The database that we use for our web site is the official U.S. government database of casualties from the Vietnam War. Its official name is The Combat Area Casualties Current File (Southeast Asia). It is maintained by the National Archives and updated once each year, usually in the autumn.
The CCAF database is known to contain errors. TheWall-USA.com has tried to address this issue when possible but visitors should know that any changes that might be made in our database will have no effect on the official CCAF database.

Q: Why do you have the wrong hometown for an individual?

A: The database does not list hometown as such but rather the more euphemistic Home of Record which is the town the individual service member provided to the personnel officials in his or her branch of service.

Q: Why have you listed the casualty date as a date long after the war was over? Isn’t that obviously wrong?

A: It could be an error in the official database. Or, in the case of an individual who was at one time listed as missing, it is more likely the date when that individual’s status was changed from missing to presumed dead.

Q: How can I get the official database changed?

A: Contact the appropriate service at the following addresses: (Please note these offices will most likely require documentation to ensure that the correction you are requesting them to make is not in error. Also note that these offices deal with all casualties from their service and not just from the Vietnam era.)

Air Force:
Air Force Military Personnel Center
AFMPC/DPMC
ATTN:  Ms. Lafontaine
Randolph AFB, TX  78150-6001

Army:
Director, Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Center
1600 Spearhead Division Avenue, Dept 450
ATTN: AHRC-PDC-P
Fort Knox, KY 40122

Marine Corps:
Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
Casualty Section
Code MHP-10
Washington, DC 20380-0001

Navy:
Department of the Navy
NMPC-122
Casualty Assistance Branch
Washington, DC 20370-5120

Q: How can I learn more about the circumstances of someone’s death?

A: At present only the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps offer such detail from a record known as the Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF). Getting access to this information is possible under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act. Write to:

FOIA OFFICER, Department of the Army
ADMIN Section, ATTN: TAP-ALP-A (FOIA)
DCS Personnel and Logistics
200 Stovall St., Alexandria, VA 22332-0405

For Marine Corps casualties write to:

Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
Manpower and Reserve Affairs (MRC)
3280 Russell Rd.
Quantico, VA 22134-5103

We do not have mailing addresses currently for the Navy or Air Force.

Q: How do I get a name added to the memorial for a serviceman who died as a result of his service in the Vietnam War?

A: If you feel a name should be added to the memorial, please contact The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund at their website HERE. They built the memorial and established the criteria for determining which names are engraved on it.

Q: I understand there is a list of things that visitors have left at the Memorial. Where can I find it?

A: The National Park Service has a site devoted to the collection of things that people have left at the Wall. They are looking for help with the identification of some of these.

Q: Where can I find information about casualties? I’m looking for such categories as Branch of Service, Type of Casualty, Rank, Pay Grade, Home of Record etc.

A: The National Archives provides general information about Vietnam War casualties you may find interesting. HERE

The Archives also provide a Statistics Page at HERE

Q: When will the Moving Wall be in my hometown?

A: There are two replica versions of The Vietnam Veterans Memorial that tour the United States regularly. The first of them which is called The Moving Wall, has been traveling the country for almost twenty years. You can find their schedule HERE.

The second, known as The Wall That Heals, was created in 1996 by The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. You can find their schedule HERE.

Q: Who built the memorial?

A: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the private organization that helped obtain funding for building of the Memorial itself. They have their own name lookup capability, and offer their own set of useful links. HERE

Q: Where can I find the latest information on the status of Prisoners of War and those listed as Missing in Action?

A: The Defense Prisoner of War / Missing Personnel Office is the official government site for POW/MIA information. They have a newsletter and current information on the official status of missing and returned service members. HERE. The Library of Congress also maintains POW/MIA information HERE

Q: I am looking for a soldier I served with in Vietnam. Can you help me find his current address?

A: There is no database of all living Vietnam veterans, and The Wall-USA.com has no way of finding anyone for you.

The Veterans Administration is prohibited by law from giving out information on veterans in their files, but they will forward a message from you to someone for whom they have an address. It is then up to that person to respond to you, assuming that the address is still good. Their page describing this service is HERE

Others have found The Viet Nam Veterans Home Page to be quite useful in finding living veterans. They maintain a Lost and Found section http://www.vietvet.org/lostfnd.htm, with listings of people looking for people. The VVHP also describes "Buddy Locator" programs offered by the military services at http://grunt.space.swri.edu/budlocat.htm.

The VVHP Reunion Notices HERE might also be a good starting point.

The United States Marine Corps maintains a large list of "approved" reunions HERE.


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