Norman Evans

Dave Evans

David Evans

Grandma and Grandpa Evans and Dad

My Dad, Spc. 6, Norman Evans, was assigned to the Army Security Agency's 156th aviation unit stationed in Can Tho, Vietnam.  He was killed in action when his RU-6A Beaver airplane collided with a UH-1H Vietnamese helicopter.  It was a catastrophic crash with no survivors.  Dad was an avionics mechanic/technician with the 156th.  He died on November 24, 1970, during his second tour.  He was only three weeks shy of coming home.

My brother, Sgt. David Evans, was assigned to 1st Squadron 82nd Cavalry Regiment stationed in Iraq.  He was injured while on his second tour due to an IED that had exploded.  After returning home he never fully recovered from his wounds and passed away August 5, 2011. My brother was named after my uncle David.

My Uncle, Spc. 4, David Evans, was a door gunner assigned to the Army's 117th Assault Helicopter Company stationed in Long An Province, Vietnam.  He was killed in action when his helicopter came under fire and crashed.  Uncle Dave stayed on the machine gun allowing other soldiers to escape.  He was killed during this selfless act.  He died on October 24, 1968.  He was only 19 years old.

There are 58,318 names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.  Of those 58,318 names, 31 sets/pairs of those are brothers.  That means there are 31 families that get to visit two names on The Wall.  My family is one of those 31 families.