Senators seek SECDEF support to add names of ‘Lost 74’ to Vietnam Memorial Wall

[rangerrebew]

Senators seek SECDEF support to add names of ‘Lost 74’ to Vietnam Memorial Wall
Dylan Gresik
 

In the early morning hours of June 3, 1969, the Australian aircraft carrier Melbourne collided with the American destroyer Frank E. Evans (DD-754) during a training exercise in the South China Sea, splitting the ship in half and causing the drowning deaths of 74 American sailors.

Now, a bipartisan group of senators has submitted a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to once again push to add the names of the “Lost 74” — the sailors killed on board the Evans — to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

A dispute over the ability to add the names due to limited space has pitted supporters against the federal government for years.

https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/military-history/2020/02/24/senators-seek-secdef-support-to-add-names-of-lost-74-to-vietnam-memorial-wall/

[EdinVA]

...but their valor goes unrecognized on the Vietnam Memorial because of an invisible line on a map – that’s unacceptable...

That is true of many many thousands of our troops.
We had a chopper go down with 50 aboard for a rescue but since with was not within the "invisible" lines, they are forgotten...

[rangerrebew]

We accidentally shot down one of our own helicopters and killed 6.  Ironically, the pilot who fired the sidewinder had been a prisoner of war.