Vietnam Conflict Records
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy committed the United States' first troops to the growing conflict in Vietnam. However, following the alleged attacks of the North Vietnamese against the USS
Maddox and the USS
Turner Joy in 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that unofficially declared war in that country. During the ensuing eleven years that the American military remained in Vietnam, 3,412 Pennsylvanians were killed in action and many more were listed as "missing in action." President Gerald Ford formally declared an end to US involvement in Vietnam in April 1975. Shortly thereafter, the war officially concluded when the capital of South Vietnam capitulated to enemy forces.
Vietnam War Records at PA State Archives
Records relating to Pennsylvania's involvement in the Vietnam War at the Pennsylvania State Archives take many different forms. They include military personnel records, health related records, records of services to veterans, and the various governors' papers.
Military Personnel Records
Please Note: there are no personnel records from the PA National Guard, as no PA National Guard units served in Vietnam.
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RG-19
Vietnam Conflict Veterans' Compensation Files, 1969-1978 RESTRICTED - These files are the most complete records in the archive that provide a list of those who served in the war. However, they are only available to the veteran, an immediate relative, funeral homes, and veteran's agencies. A social security number is also necessary to search these records
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RG-19
Grave Registration Card Files - Burial cards filed with the Department of Military and Veterans - Burial cards filed with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. However, not all the records have been processed and organized, since every county maintains their records differently and then forwards that information to the archive. Information includes name, date and place of birth, date and place of enlistment, rank, date and place of discharge, date and place of death, and burial location.
Accession #4658, 4478, 3227, 3669, 3179, 3185
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RG-10 Medal of Honor Recipients-Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (PA Council on the Arts) - Limited edition publication that details the history of the Medal of Honor and provides sketches of all Pennsylvania recipients from the American Civil War up to and including the UN Operation to Somalia.
Accession #2370
Health Related Records
During the Vietnam War, the US military used various "rainbow herbicides" to kill unwanted vegetation that concealed their enemies in the jungle. "Agent Orange" was by far the most used of these herbicides, and therefore as it turned out, the most harmful. After the war, in the late 1970s, many veterans realized that their exposure to this herbicide had caused very harmful side effects. Agent Orange contained TCDD, a dioxin that has now been linked to a number of illnesses, including birth defects, spina bifida, certain cancers, diabetes, Hodgkin's disease, and most prevalent, chloracne. It wasn't until the early 1980s, through different lawsuits of the makers of Agent Orange, that many veterans received both recognition and compensation for these and other side effects of the herbicide. For more information on Agent Orange and benefits available to veterans, visit the website of the
US Department of Veterans Affairs.
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RG-11
Herbicide Exposure and Health History Questionnaire, 1984-1989 RESTRICTED - These questionnaires were sent to all Pennsylvania veterans who served in Southeast Asia in order to determine the extent of their exposure to the various herbicides and any diseases contracted since their tour of duty. Access to these records are restricted to the veteran, an immediate relative, funeral homes, and veteran's agencies.
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RG-11 Vietnam Veterans' Herbicide Information Commission
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Data Bank File, 1982-1987 - In an effort to ascertain the medical effects of exposure to the various herbicides and determine how best to assist those veterans who were exposed, this commission collected epidemiological reports and studies related to the effect of, primarily Agent Orange.
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Program Files and Correspondence, 1982-1987 - Minutes, correspondence, reports, newspaper clippings, press releases, photographs, meeting packets, public hearing transcripts, and transcripts of testimony collected by the commission. Among the items present are Agent Orange hotline telephone logs, background literature and court testimony relating to Agent Orange, American Legion materials, Dioxin task force materials, a list of veterans' names, mailing lists, medical histories, a summary of survey questionnaire responses broken down by geographic areas, and materials supplied by the Veteran of Foreign Wars. There is also one unprocessed carton (Accession #3087) that was transferred to the archives at a later date. It contains studies and reports, correspondence, and a VHS tape covering Agent Orange produced by the Dept. of Health.
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RG-11 Dept. of Health Executive Correspondence and Subject Files, 1996-2002 - These records are currently unprocessed, but are arranged alphabetically by subject.
Accession #4187
Records of Services to Veterans
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RG-19
Veterans Organization Files, 1950-1994 - Minutes and proceedings of various state veterans' organizations.
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RG-19 Bureau for Veterans' Affairs
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Governor's Outreach and Assistance Center Records, 1983-1993 - This organization was intended to serve as a bridge between the individual veterans requiring information or assistance and the public or private agency which can best meet their needs. It includes newspaper clippings of Vietnam-veteran and veteran-care articles.
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Minutes, Correspondence and Related Materials of the State Veterans Commission, 1962-1963, 1972-2005 - Among its contents are correspondence between the State Veterans Commission and various state and federal veterans agencies.
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News Bulletins, 1976-1996 - Among the topics covered in the news bulletins are quarterly reports from the state veteran's homes, the veteran emergency assistance program, pensions, Agent Orange, and other Vietnam related illnesses.
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RG-19
Bonus Administration files for Vietnam War - Administrative files created when Pennsylvania began paying compensation or bonuses to its veterans for honorable service in the Vietnam War. Includes a bonus feasibility report for the Vietnam War.
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RG-25 Records of the Pennsylvania Veteran's Memorial Commission, 1988-2005 - This commission was created to construct a permanent memorial to veterans on the grounds of the Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery. Even though it's not directly related to the Vietnam War era, Vietnam veterans are buried in the cemetery and a number of veterans' organizations contributed funds to the construction of the memorial. However, these records are currently unprocessed.
Accession #4575
Governors' Papers
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MG-208
Governor William W. Scranton, 1963-1967 - Included among Scranton's personal papers are sympathy letters to family members of slain servicemen, press releases, activities to support troops, and political campaign materials. There is also some correspondence between Scranton and such prominent figures as Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. Researchers may also wish to consult the William W. Scranton Papers maintained in the
Special Collections Library at the Paterno Library at Pennsylvania State University.
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MG-209
Governor Raymond P. Shafer, 1967-1971 - Included among Shafer's papers are correspondence, newspaper clippings, casualty lists, sympathy letters to family members of slain servicemen, situation reports submitted to governor's office, presidential and state campaign material, books, pamphlets, studies, files on riots on college campuses, information concerning the establishment of the Vietnam Bonus program, and correspondence sent to veterans regarding their Vietnam Bonus.
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MG-309
Governor Milton J. Shapp, 1971-1979 - As governor during the end of the Vietnam War, Shapp's papers contain correspondence and other documents related to the culmination of the war.
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MG-404
Governor Dick Thornburgh, 1979-1987 - Files include documents relating to Vietnam Veteran's Week and Agent Orange.
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RG-10 Governor Robert P. Casey,
1987-1995
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General Correspondence, 1986-1995 - Topics covered include Agent Orange, Vietnamese Americans, and the National Women's Vietnam Memorial.
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Issue Files, 1987-1994 - Topics include Prisoners of War and Missing in Action.
Other Resources
Several other archival institutions and historical societies also house military personnel and other collections related to the Vietnam War.
- Pennsylvania's List of Casualties Incurred by US Military Personnel in Connection with the Conflict in Vietnam (Deaths from 1 January 1961 through 30 September 1975) prepared by Directorate for Information Operations and Control Office, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), October 28, 1975.
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Cumberland County Historical Society - The Vietnam Project Collection contains primary documentation on all forty plus servicemen from Cumberland County killed in action in Vietnam.
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Musselman Library (Gettysburg College) - Contains special collections related to the Vietnam War.
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Military History Institute (Carlisle, PA)
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National Archives (College Park, MD) - Contains numerous
online databases that provide military personnel information, such as:
- Records on Military Personnel Who Died, Were Missing in Action or Prisoners of War as a Result of the Vietnam Conflict, 1956-1998.
- Records with Unit Information on Military Personnel Who Died During the Vietnam War, 1956-2003
- Records of Awards and Decorations of Honor During the Vietnam Conflict, 1965-1972
- Records About Air Sorties Flown in Southeast Asia, 1970-1975
- Records About Combat Incidents in Cambodia During the Vietnam Conflict, 1970-1974
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National Personnel Records Center (St Louis, MO) - Contains documentation of all those who served in the Vietnam War.
Websites
Some of the best known and more established internet sites available concerning the Vietnam War are listed below.