assemblage
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From the collection of the National Park Service, National Mall and Memorial Parks.

assemblage

CATALOG NUMBER

VIVE 19677

ACCESSION DATE

10/18/1988

ASSOCIATED NAMES ON THE WALL
ITEM SUMMARY

Artifact assemblage dedicated to U.S. Army Specialist 4 (SP4) Allan George Barnes, U.S. Army Specialist 4 (SP4) Ricky Lynn Cornell, & U.S. Army Private First Class (PFC) David Chisum and consisting of a handwritten note upon a swatch of military issue, od green fabric and an affixed military issue, National Defense Service Medal ribbon. The handwritten inscription upon the fabric swatch is from, "M.E. Barnes / USMC", dedicates the artifact assemblage, "In Memory of: / South Vietnam / Allen Barnes - K.I.A. '68 / Ricky Cornell - K.I.A. '68 / David Chisum - K.I.A. '68", and honors their memory with the phrases, "4 buddies went / For we who fought / and we who died / I shall never forget / our sacrifice". The artifact assemblage was left at The Wall by U.S. Marine Corps and Vietnam veteran M.E. Barnes between August - October 1988.

ITEM DESCRIPTION

ASSEMBLAGE DEDICATED TO U.S. ARMY SPECIALIST 4 (SP4) ALLAN GEORGE BARNES, U.S. ARMY SPECIALIST 4 (SP4) RICKY LYNN CORNELL, & U.S. ARMY PRIVATE FIRST CLASS (PFC) DAVID CHISUM AND CONSISTING OF: COMPONENT (A) MILITARY ISSUE, OD GREEN FABRIC SWATCH AND COMPONENT (B) NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL RIBBON. COMPONENT (A) MILITARY ISSUE, OD GREEN FABRIC SWATCH; LIKELY A SEGMENT OF AN OG-107 MEN'S TROPICAL COMBAT COAT. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF OD GREEN COTTON POPLIN FABRIC AND BEARS FOUR (4) BUTTON HOLES AT THE PROPER LEFT-HAND SIDE AS WELL AS WHAT APPEARS TO BE A COAT BREAST POCKET WITH SINGLE BUTTON FLAP CLOSURE AT THE CENTER. A HANDWRITTEN INSCRIPTION DEDICATING THE ARTIFACT ASSEMBLAGE TO SP4 BARNES, SP4 CORNELL, AND PFC CHISUM (ALL OF WHOM WERE KILLED IN ACTION IN VIETNAM) IS EXECUTED IN BLACK/BLUE MARKER, BLACK INK, AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE FABRIC SWATCH. THE INSCRIPTION IS FROM, "M.E. BARNES / USMC" AND LISTS THE HONOREE'S NAMES, KIA STATUS, CASUALTY YEAR, AND OFFERS THE DEDICATION, "4 BUDDIES WENT / FOR WE WHO FOUGHT / AND WE WHO DIED / I SHALL NEVER FORGET / OUR SACRIFICE". ADDITIONALLY, A HANDWRITTEN NOTE COMPOSED IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON A SCRAP OF WHITE, UNLINED PAPER WAS ALSO DISCOVERED ALONG WITH COMPONENT (A). THIS HANDWRITTEN NOTE LISTS THE FULL NAMES OF THE THREE (3) HONOREES INSCRIBED UPON THE OBVERSE SURFACE OF COMPONENT (A), AS WELL AS AN UNSPECIFIED NUMBER ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF THEM (POSSIBLY REPRESENTING VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL (VVM) WALL LOCATION INFORMATION [?]). COMPONENT (B) IS PRESENTLY AFFIXED TO THE POCKET FLAP AT THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF COMPONENT (A). COMPONENT (B) U.S. MILITARY MEDAL RIBBON. MILITARY ISSUE, NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL RIBBON, FULL COLOR. THE MEDAL RIBBON CONSISTS OF A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED METAL SUPPORT/SUSPENSION BAR OVER WHICH IS AFFIXED THE NYLON FABRIC RIBBON CONSISTING OF A FIELD OF ALTERNATING, VERTICAL SCARLET, WHITE, OLD GLORY BLUE, AND GOLDEN YELLOW STRIPES. THE NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL (NDSM) WAS ESTABLISHED BY PRESIDENT DWIGHT DAVID EISENHOWER PER EXECUTIVE ORDER 10448, DATED 22 APRIL 1953, FOR SERVICE BETWEEN 27 JUNE 1950 AND A DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED. THE NDSM WAS REINSTATED BY MEMORANDUM FROM THE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, DATED 26 APRIL 2002, FROM 11 SEPTEMBER 2001 TO A TERMINATION DATE TO BE DETERMINED IN THE FUTURE. THE OBJECT IS PRESENTLY AFFIXED TO THE BREAST POCKET FLAP AT THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF COMPONENT (A). (SOURCE: THE INSTITUTE OF HERALDRY- HTTP://WWW.TIOH.HQDA.PENTAGON.MIL) ACCORDING TO VIVE CATALOG NOTES PREPARED BY MRCE COLLECTIONS STAFF, AN NPS RANGER'S TAG ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED WITH THE OBJECT READ, "8/105".

ACCESSION GROUP

VIVE-00052

RECORD COPONENT QTY

3

ASSOCIATED ITEM TEXT

Text of the handwritten inscription upon COMPONENT (A), as well as of the accompanying handwritten note is transcribed in full, as follows: [COMPONENT (A), obverse object surface, handwritten inscription] "M.E. Barnes / USMC / In Memory of: / South Vietnam / Allen Barnes - K.I.A. '68 / Ricky Cornell - K.I.A. '68 / David Chisum - K.I.A. '68 / 4 buddies went / For we who fought / and we who died / I shall never forget / our sacrifice" / [COMPONENT (A), accompanying note, handwritten inscription] "Allan Barnes George pg 33 / Cornell Ricky Lynn #139 / Chissum [sic] David #118"

ITEM DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

Item Weight: 59.5g (Collective weight of COMPONENTS (A & B))
Item Length: 32.4cm
Item Width: 25.4cm