Skip to main content

How many Oregonians served and died in the Vietnam War?



The Vietnam War was a conflict that had its beginnings for Americans in 1955 and lasted until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. The main timeframe of the war was after the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964 until the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973.

Detailed stats from the Vietnam Veterans of America website tells us that 2.6 million American military personnel served in the Vietnam War and around 1 to 1.6 million were in combat in some measure. The average age for these soldiers that served was only 19. Out of this number, 57,000 military personnel from Oregon served in the Vietnam War.

An Oregon Live article written on May 27, 2017, highlights the Oregon Vietnam Veterans Living Memorial located at Washington Park near the Oregon Zoo in Portland; the memorial was dedicated in 1987 to those who died or are MIA in the Vietnam War, which now includes 818 veterans. The total number of those who died and were MIA in Vietnam is 58,156 American veterans.

The total number of wounded in action in the Vietnam war was 303,704 American veterans.

The Oregon Live article has a database of all the names on the memorial and also explains that the years 1968–69 are when Oregonians suffered the heaviest toll with 400 names included.

There is a group of Oregon Vietnam War veterans that has created The Fund for a Vietnam Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol as a way to establish another permanent memorial to honor the veterans and their families who participated in the war. This proposed memorial also includes a memorial stone for the six Oregonians who died in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

Let us take the time to visit and support these memorials and remember with gratitude the brave service of our fellow Oregonians and Americans who gave their lives for our freedom in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm, as well as those who came back and are still with us.


Originally published at NewsBreak

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Approval Time for NewsBreak Monetization

Explaining how long it took for me and all the details involved. I’m happy to report I’ve been approved for monetization at NewsBreak! I wanted to share the details with anyone waiting or thinking about becoming a contributor. Here are some details:I wrote my first article on NewsBreak on December 24, 2022. 23 total articles 370 followers 734k impressions 46k views 853 likes 565 comments 742 shares As you may know, contributors have to have 100 registered followers and 10 articles before they can apply for monetization. I reached these markers after 15 articles on January 6, 2023. After applying, NewsBreak told me it could take up to one month until they got back to me. I also heard from some Medium writers that it has sometimes taken up to 45 days. I heard back from them yesterday January 1. That means it took roughly 25 days for them to get back to me, thankfully, to tell me I’m approved. I really wasn’t sure if I would be approved, especially considering I slowed down writing there ...

6 Tips for Setting Up Community Gardens in HOA Neighborhoods

In the modern digital age we're living in, setting up a community garden may be exactly what HOA neighborhoods need to get their members off their digital devices and back to nature a bit. Community gardens promote positive relationships within neighborhoods , provide healthy activities for people of all ages, and if done well produce a good amount of healthy food. In an effort to help planners get their thoughts aligned, here are 6 tips for setting up community gardens in HOA neighborhoods. Gain and Gauge Support from Homeowners Board members and homeowners interested in starting a community garden should start by gauging the support for the idea with community members. Planners can gain and gauge support with methods such as: surveys emails text messages phone calls flyers word of mouth announcements at board meetings articles fundraiser events  The main idea is to see how much support there is for such an idea; just keep in mind that some people may get excited...

An Ode to Grandpa Lee

An old-time pioneer amid modern vanity and "progress." The man stood tall in the wind with the sun beating down on his flat-brim cowboy hat. He was a working man, focused on his pioneer family in the western country they called home. Building and designing structures high and wide, the man skipped across wooden beams high in the air, under shadows cast only by moving clouds; wide open spaces watched the scene as death-defying feats were carried out in relative obscurity, as just another day of work. The man was an old-timer with relatively few years to boast, a before his time pioneer with an adventurous and loving wife plotting business in sagebrush lands far beyond the hyped city life bustling with seemingly meaningless activities. His skin was as leather, scorched in the sun and beaten with high winds containing drifting sand mixed with alkaline dirt. The dry mountain air in the high desert cleansed his heart with comfortable respite from the high temps and harsh weather e...

The Lowdown Truth #51: God's Judgment on the West

 Recorded April 8, 2026