The VIETNAM TRAVELING MEMORIAL WALL – May 22-25, 2026 Califon Island Park, Califon, NJ
The Commandant and Adjutant joined the Department Commandant Chris Soldano, District 9 Vice Commandant Don Mack, and HC Bulldogs Commandant Tracy Colucci at the Opening Ceremony of the Vietnam Traveling Wall in Califon NJ on May 22nd. Below are a few facts about those killed in action and how the wall commemorates them. It was a solemn, eye-opening experience to simply walk along the thousands of names listed there. Also included were memorials to 9/11, Desert Shield/Storm, Iraqi Freedom’s Sentinel, Just Cuse, Urgent Fury, as well as those who were lost in Somalia and Jordan.
There are 58,307 names listed on the polished black wall, including those added in 2010. The names are arranged in the order in which they died by date and within each date, alphabetically.
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- The first known casualty was Richard B Fitzgibbon from N Weymouth, MA on June 8, 1956. His name is listed on the wall with his son, Marine Corps Lance Corporal Richard B Fitzgibbon III who was killed on September 7, 1965.
- There are 3 sets of fathers and sons on the wall.
- 39,996 on the wall were 22 years old or younger
- 8,283 were 19 years old
- 33,103, the largest age group were 18 years old
- 112 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 and 1,448 on their last day
- There are 31 sets of brothers on the wall
- 8 women on the wall, nursing the wounded
- 153 of the 244 soldiers awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War are on the wall
- West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation: 711 West Virginians on the wall
- There are 1,563 names on the wall from New Jersey, 16 from Hunterdon County and 69 from Morris County
- ROBERT JOHN SLATTERY is the only soldier on the wall from WHIPPANY NJ.
The Traveling Memorial Wall is a 3/5 scale of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, it stands 6 feet tall in the center and covers almost 300 feet from end to end.
The Memorial is a reminder of the great sacrifices made during the Vietnam War. It was made for the purpose of helping heal and rekindle friendships and to allow people the opportunity to visit loved ones in their hometown who otherwise may not be able to make the trip to Washington.
There is a permanent NJ Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial at 1 Memorial Lane in Holmdel, NJ 07733. The Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10 AM – 4 PM.
The Vietnam Veterans Moving Wall is visiting Rockaway, NJ at Peterson Field from 2-6 July, 2026. The Moving Wall™ is a half-size traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., designed to bring the memorial’s healing power to communities across the United States. The replica was built in 1984.
