10 New Name Additions to Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
For Immediate Release
May 3, 2012

Ten Names Added to Vietnam Veterans Memorial Ceremony to Honor Newly-Listed Heroes Planned for May 13, 2012

Washington, DC – The names of ten American servicemen will be engraved on the black granite walls of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial over the next week, and the status designations will be changed for 12 others whose names are already on The Wall, announced Jan C. Scruggs, Founder and President of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF).

VVMF is planning a press event at 10 a.m. on May 13 to unveil the changes and to honor one of the ten servicemen added: Frank A. Neary. His daughter Jessica DiNapoli will speak about her father’s life and service. Marine Corporal Neary was wounded in action on Feb. 24, 1967 in the Quang Ngai Province in Vietnam. His death in 2006 was deemed to be a result of the wounds received in combat.

Weather permitting, work to inscribe the names and change designations will be complete by May 4^th, and the changes will be unveiled during the press event. When names are added, the highly technical procedure requires meticulous work to match the stroke and depth of the surrounding names to within 1/1,000 of an inch. The physical work of adding the names and changing designations will be performed by James Lee of the Colorado-based company, Engrave Write.

"We will add the names as close as possible to their dates of casualty, so these servicemen can remain in the company of those they served with," said Scruggs.

Neary’s widow, Susan Neary of Ocean, N.J. and about 50 of his family members, including siblings, children, grandchildren and friends are traveling to D.C. from all over the United States to attend the ceremony.

Frank Neary was able to return from Vietnam in 1967 to see his family, and eventually have a family of his own, before succumbing to his wounds in 2006, said his son Frank Neary, Jr.

"The fact that more than 58,000 soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen were not able to return is incredibly humbling for all of us. It is an honor beyond words for us to sit amongst the family and friends of all the service members listed on The Wall," Frank Neary, Jr. said.

The ten names being added this year meet the Department of Defense (DOD) criteria for addition to The Wall: all of the men died in connection with combat related incidents during the Vietnam War.

Names Being Added to The Wall

PFC Johnny Owen Brooks, U.S. Army
Stockton, Calif.
Sept. 22, 1949 – Sept. 24, 2011
Date of Casualty: Nov. 14, 1969
Wall Location:
Pfc. Brooks died as a result of wounds (combat or hostile related) sustained in the combat zone during the Vietnam War.

PFC Larry Morgan Kelly, U.S. Army
Akron, Ohio
May 22, 1949 – June 14, 2010
Date of Casualty: Aug. 22, 1969
Wall Location:
Pfc. Kelly died as a result of his wounds (combat or hostile related) sustained in the combat zone during the Vietnam War.

SP4 David Lawrence Deckard, U.S. Army
Louisville, Ky.
Jan. 30, 1948 – Jan. 6, 2006
Date of Casualty: March 24, 1969
Wall Location:
Spec. Deckard was diagnosed with chronic respiratory failure and the Army determined that his death was directly connected to his wounds received in Vietnam.

ATC Jospeh William Aubin, U.S. Navy
Bridgeport, Conn.
Dec. 14, 1929 – May 26, 1966
Date of Casualty: May 26, 1966
Wall Location:
Navy records document that ATC Aubin and three other Sailors died while participating in a combat mission en route to a target within the defined combat zone.

ATR3 Richard Carl Hunt, U.S. Navy
Guys Mills, Penn.
July 2, 1942 – May 26, 1966
Date of Casualty: May 26, 1966
Wall Location:
Navy records document that ATR3 Hunt and three other Sailors died while participating in a combat mission en route to a target within the defined combat zone.

LT Walter Allan Linzy, U.S. Navy
Nashville, Ark.
June 11, 1926 – May 26, 1966
Date of Casualty: May 26, 1966
Wall Location:
Navy records document that Lt. Linzy and three other Sailors died while participating in a combat mission en route to a target within the defined combat zone.

ATR3 Richard Dwaine Stocker, U.S. Navy
Jacksonville, Ark.
April 17, 1945 – May 26, 1966
Date of Casualty: May 26, 1966
Wall Location:
Navy records document that ATR3 Stocker and three other Sailors died while participating in a combat mission en route to a target within the defined combat zone.

LTJG David McLean Desilets, U.S. Navy
Palm Desert, Calif.
Oct. 16, 1940 – Sept. 4, 1966
Date of Casualty: Sept. 4, 1966
Wall Location:
The Navy reviewed casualty and other relevant documents pertaining to the death of LTJG Desilets aboard the USS Pyro while steaming on ‘Yankee Station’ in the Gulf of Tonkin. The information confirmed that Desilets’ death occurred within the defined combat zone.

AN Albert Kalahana Kuewa, U.S. Navy
Honolulu, Hawaii
Nov. 14, 1941 – Sept. 18, 1964
Date of Casualty: Sept. 18, 1964
Wall Location:
The Navy reviewed records and determined that Airman Kuewa died while supporting combat missions against targets in North Vietnam.

CPL Frank A. Neary, U.S. USMC
Ocean, N.J.
April 24, 1948 – Nov. 22, 2006
Date of Casualty: Feb. 24, 1967
Wall Location:
Cpl. Neary died of a stroke due to an intracranial bleed, chronic thromolytic therapy and occluded bypass graft of his left leg. The Marine Corps reviewed the records and determined that he died of the wounds he sustained in combat in Vietnam.

Status Changes

Beside each name on the Memorial is a symbol designating status. The diamond symbol denotes confirmed death. The cross represents missing in action. When a service member’s remains are returned or accounted for, the diamond is superimposed over the cross. In addition to the ten names being added this year, eight designation changes will be made as well. They include:

• Army Capt. Charles Ronald Barnes of Fullerton, PA, Panel 29W, Line 50

• Army Sgt. 1^st Class William Theodore Brown of La Habra, CA, Panel 16W, Line 22

• Army Sgt. 1^st Class James Leslie Moreland of Anaheim, CA, Panel 38E, Line 7

• Army Sgt. 1^st Class Donald Monroe Shue of Kannapolis, NC, Panel 16W, Line 24

• Navy Lt. Cmdr. Edward James Broms Jr. of Meadville, PA, Panel 50W, Line 41

• Navy Cmdr. Frank Clifford Green Jr. of Waskom, TX, Panel 1W, Line 55

• Air Force Col. Leo Sydney Boston of Canon City, CO., Panel 7E, Line 7

• Air Force Maj. Thomas Edward Clark of Emporium, PA, Panel 33W, Line 84

• Air Force Maj. Bruce Edward Lawrence of Phillipsburg, NJ, Panel 53W, Line 21

• Air Force Col. Gilbert Swain Palmer Jr. of Birmingham, AL, Panel 41E, Line 53

• Air Force Lt. Col. Edward Dean Silver of Junction City, OR, Panel 53W, Line 23

• Air Force Maj. Charles Milton Walling of Phoenix, AZ, Panel 9E, Line 119

Adding Names

These changes will bring the total number of names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to 58,282 men and women who were killed or remain missing in action.

The Department of Defense sets the criteria for and makes decisions about whose names are eligible for inscription on The Wall. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund pays for the name additions and status changes, and works with the National Park Service to ensure long-term preservation and maintenance of The Wall.

Photos of the ten men whose names are being added this weekend, as well as stories about their lives, are being collected from their loved ones to be used in the Education Center at The Wall, which is planned Washington, D.C. near the Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans Memorials. The Education Center will be a living, interactive learning facility that will teach the values, tell the stories and show the faces of those who served. It will also showcase the remembrances left in tribute at The Wall and celebrate the rich legacy of service in this country. For information about this latest VVMF initiative, visit www.buildthecenter.org.

Dedicated on Nov. 13, 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built to honor all who served with the U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War. It has become known as an international symbol of healing and is the most-visited memorial on the National Mall.

About VVMF

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War. Authorized by Congress, its most recent initiative is building the Education Center at The Wall, an underground facility near the Memorial that is designed to add faces to all the names on The Wall and tell their stories. Other Memorial Fund initiatives include educational programs for students and teachers, a traveling Wall replica that honors our nation's veterans and six events held each year at The Wall to honor and remember those we lost during the Vietnam War.

Contact: Lee Allen
Phone: (202) 393-0090, ext. 109

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