US refuses to add sailors' names to Vietnam Memorial - EarthLink - U.S. News

Tough call, but most likely the correct one. Here's another to mull over. Let's say a soldier is killed in an auto accident while racing away from antiwar demonstrators upon return to CONUS. Should their name go on the Wall? How about if he's killed in a bar fight in Bangkok while on R&R from Vietnam? Sometimes a problem has no one solution and someone has to just make a decision as Alexander sliced Gordian's Knot. It isn't an elegant solution but it works (and yes someone will complain "that's not fair" - Well, life isn't fair - or so my mother told me and she never lied to me)

I can see both sides of this, and I started out of the opinion that they shouldn't be included based solely on the established criteria, but reading the end of the article that cited exceptions for a group of Marines in transit back to Vietnam it's hard to say it was OK for the group of Marines, but not for these sailors. The offer of a separate memorial for the sailors who died on the USS Evans is a good compromise to the situation, and honestly I think the separate memorial will give them more recognition than being added to "The Wall". These sailors definately deserve to be remembered for their sacrifice!!

Concur.