… A little history most people will never know.  Interesting Veterans Statistics from the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
There are 58,267 names now listed on that polished black wall,
including those added in 2010.

The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us
by date and within each date the names are alphabetized.  It is hard
to believe it is 63 years since the first casualty.

The first known casualty was Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth
, Mass. Listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having been killed
on June 8, 1956.  His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son,
Marine Corps LCpl Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept.
7, 1965.

There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Wall.

39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger.

8,283 were just 19 years old.

The largest age group, 33,103 were 18 years old.

12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old.

5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old.

One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old.

997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam .

1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam .

31 sets of brothers are on the Wall.

Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons.

54 soldiers attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia .  I
wonder why so many from one school

8 Women are on the Wall, Nursing the wounded.

244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War;
153 of them are on the Wall

Beallsville , Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons.

West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation.
There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall.

The Marines of Morenci – They led some of the scrappiest high school
football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of
Morenci (pop 5,058) had ever known and cheered.  They enjoyed roaring
beer busts.  In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado
Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest .  And in the
patriotic camaraderie typical of Morenci’s mining families, the nine
graduates of Morenci High enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps.
Their service began on Independence Day,
1966. Only 3 returned home.

The Buddies of Midvale – LeRoy Tafoya, Jimmy Martinez, Tom Gonzales
were all boyhood friends and lived on three consecutive streets in
Midvale, Utah on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh avenues.  They lived only a
few yards apart.  They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field
And they all went to Vietnam .  In a span of 16 dark days in late
1967, all three would be killed.  LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov.
22, the fourth anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination.  Jimmy
died less than 24 hours later on Thanksgiving Day.  Tom was shot dead
assaulting the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

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

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

For most Americans who read this they will only see the numbers that
the Vietnam War created.  To those  who survived the war, and to
the families of those who did not, we see the faces, we feel the pain
that these numbers created  We are, until we too pass away, haunted
with these numbers, because they were our friends, fathers, Husbands,
wives, sons and daughters  There are no noble wars, just noble
warriors.

The Redlands Detachment has asked us to join with them in putting on our own Marine Corps Birthday Ball this year – Saturday Nov 10, in San Bernardino.

Click here for information and tickets

Meeting location Odyssey  As we continue to grow as a Marine Corps Detachment in Victor Valley. We have been looking for a location that would be a benefit to the organization and that lives up to the meeting standards for our members. Victorville and the surrounding areas do not have a Veterans Hall or Veterans Building that can be used by all military services.We looked at a number of facilities in the area of Victorville which would be a central location for all our members to attend. some of the limitations that we encountered: ( 1 ) Fee for use of facilities, ( 2) Time conflict with other organizations ( 3 ) Not centrally located for all members. We have finally found a good location that meets the needs of our organization. We will now meet at The Spring Valley Lake Country Club on the 4thThursday of each month from 6pm-8pm. All active Marines, Veteran Marines and MFM Navy Corpsman or Chaplains are invited to attend.   John Hogan Judge Advocate & Paymaster Victor Valley Det. 1383 cell # 760-519-1536 From the Commandant  I spent Sunday afternoon at a party with a bunch of people I barely know.  But, as Marines always do, I connected with the only other Marine in the group.  How is it that if you put 40 people together, the Marines will always find each other?  I think it is because we have a connection that knows no bounds.  Marines are unique and we always connect with our kindred spirits.  I posted a response to a comment on Reddit about Harleys and veterans.  Another veteran ripped me and made a comment about stupid jarheads.  I thought it was funny that an Army dog quickly identified me as a superior veteran and someone who he was jealous of (probably not what he said but what I heard).  Others started bashing on him because they did not get the sarcasm of how we veterans poke fun at each other.   I look forward to our detachment meetings because it is the one place we can be ourselves.  No one will be offended by any off color, politically incorrect comment.  I can respect my MAGA friends, regardless of their ridiculous political opinions.  We are all Marines.  We have signed a pledge that we will lay down our life for our country.  We stood on the yellow footprints, we endured 90 days of hell, we proudly wear the Eagle, Globe and Anchor.  Ask me about the time my friends stuck me in an oven.  Marines always laugh, civilians cringe.   Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday. Darryl Evey Commandant  National Convention Happenings…From Buffalo NY Trustee elections: Commandant: Wendell Webb Sr Vice: Dennis Tobin Jr Vise: Johnny Baker Judge Advocate: Warren Griffin Jr Past Cmdt: Richard Gore SW Division: NVC Bill Ebright NAVC Pat McConnell MODD 4 California Pack Devil Dogs were elevated to Pedigree. The Vote We can look forward to ByLaws changes that include splitting the Bylaws and Administrative Policies.  This will allow policy changes without necessitating voting by the members.

Mike, in his typical narcissistic way, has convinced us to have a meeting in Crestline so that he does not have to drive to Hesperia. He sweetened the deal by offering us all kinds of perks. The best one is that he has several potential members who would like to join us and he has a fun location. He also offered to allow everyone to crash at his house, but he has not cleared that with his wife and I doubt she will agree to it (she said that when he has sleepovers he stays up late and is grumpy the next day). He also mentioned that he would have some 18 year old scotch and Cuban cigars, but he was drunk when he said that so it may not be true.

So, our monthly detachment meeting for August will be at 23420 Crest Forest Drive, Crestline. It is a restaurant named the Bear House. The meeting will be at 6:30, Wednesday, August 16th, our usual third Wednesday. There are some cool places in Crestline to visit before or after the meeting. I plan to get there early and enjoy the beautiful town of Crestline.

If you would like more information about the location, contact Mike Brewer at micbrewerusmc@aol.com or 760-550-8083.

In all seriousness, Mike is doing a great job as PR guy. He is always spreading the word. He is also constantly looking for ways to help our fellow Marines. We are fortunate to have him in our corner. If this goes well, maybe we will consider roving meetings.

In order to relate to a wider audience, the name of the detachment has changed from Apply Valley to Victor Valley.

The new charter was presented by Department Commandant Jess Fernandez.