The exact beginning of the Vietnam War is still debated by historians. Some trace its roots as far back as 1887, when Vietnam was absorbed into French Indochina. Others argue the conflict truly began in 1946, when Ho Chi Minh launched a guerrilla campaign against French colonial rule. Another interpretation points to 1950—the year the United States began providing substantial financial and military support to the French effort.
For decades, however, the U.S. government used 1961 as the official start date for Vietnam War casualty records. Because of that, service members killed before that year—including Air Force Tech. Sgt. Richard Fitzgibbon Jr., who died in 1956—were excluded from the formal count of American war dead.
After years of persistent advocacy by Fitzgibbon’s family, the Department of Defense revised the official start date to November 1, 1955. The change ensured that earlier losses were finally recognized, giving long-overdue acknowledgment to those who paid the ultimate price before the war’s escalation.
Richard Fitzgibbon Jr.’s untimely death
Richard Fitzgibbon Jr. was born on June 21, 1920, in Stoneham, Massachusetts, and went on to serve his country in two branches of the U.S. military. He enlisted in the Navy during World War II before transferring to the Air Force, where he rose to the rank of technical sergeant. Assigned to the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) in Vietnam, Fitzgibbon played a key role in training South Vietnamese pilots in combat skills.
On June 8, 1956, he was working as a crew chief when his aircraft came under fire. In the chaos of the mission, he clashed with Staff Sgt. Edward C. Clarke, though he remained composed enough to instruct the radio operator to stay focused and continue the operation.
That evening, Clarke—still seething from the confrontation—drank heavily in Saigon. Intoxicated and agitated, he encountered Fitzgibbon, who was handing out candy to neighborhood children. In a sudden act of violence, Clarke drew his sidearm and shot him. Vietnamese authorities moved quickly to apprehend Clarke, but during their effort he either fell or jumped from a second-story balcony, a fall that proved fatal.
Not classified as a casualty of the Vietnam War
Richard Fitzgibbon Jr. died during the Vietnam War era, but at the time, his death wasn’t officially linked to the conflict. His family was heartbroken by the loss, and his son, Richard Fitzgibbon III, later enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps to serve in Vietnam. Tragically, he was killed in 1965 after stepping on a landmine.
Their deaths represent one of only three known instances where both a father and son were killed in the Vietnam War.
In 1988, a relative named Richard DelRossi visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. He was able to find the name of Richard Fitzgibbon III on the wall, but not that of Fitzgibbon Jr. This was because, at the time, the memorial only included names of those who died after 1961—the year the Department of Defense had designated as the war’s official start.
Richard Fitzgibbon Jr.’s family advocates for a change
After returning home, Richard DelRossi shared his father’s story with the rest of the family, and together they launched a petition to have Tech. Sgt. Richard Fitzgibbon Jr.’s name added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Their efforts stretched almost a decade, but despite their persistence, they made little progress.
In 1997, their luck changed when they visited a traveling replica of the memorial and met U.S. Representative Ed Markey (D-MA). Deeply moved by the family’s account, Markey—who would later become a U.S. Senator—took up their cause. Although he encountered bureaucratic resistance, he remained committed. His determination paid off: the Department of Defense revised the official start date of the Vietnam War to November 1, 1955, coinciding with the establishment of the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) in Vietnam.
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Finally, on Memorial Day in 1999, the Fitzgibbon family stood before the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as Richard Fitzgibbon Jr.’s name was officially added—honoring the sacrifice they had long fought to have recognized.