After that afternoon beside the Wall I began to reflect a great deal about those months in 1969, and once again I thought of trying to locate Sergeant Andujar’s family. I also realized that the Wall might not make much sense to future generations unless they could grasp how each individual name represented a tragedy for the families of brave and honorable people who were asked to live and die under extremely difficult circumstances. For some it is just a black wall of names, but for others it is a sea of violence, of tragedy and of death.

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Upon returning from the memorial ceremony I began writing a partial version of this account. The memory, with some confusion of facts, found its way onto the Web, where it was soon read by Major Reinaldo Andujar, a retired infantry officer who had also served in Vietnam. He began to wonder if Sergeant Andujar was a relative. At a family reunion in the summer of 2000, he discovered that Charles Andujar had been a second cousin.

Military records indicate that Staff Sgt. Charles Manuel Andujar from Newark, N.J., was killed on June 13, 1969, by small-arms fire in an area called Phuoc Tuy. For most, it is brief mention of a stranger from an obscure unit who died in an even more shadowy place. For some of us, there is a great deal more to remember.

On July 6, 2000, I received e-mail from one of the sergeant’s sons. Emotion welled up in me at the thought of finally having an opportunity to complete my duty and answer questions for the family. In the communication I learned that Andujar had a daughter and four sons, and that his widow was also alive. The family seemed very appreciative and asked about photos and about other men who might have known Sergeant Andujar.

Several of the men from our unit have helped to double-check facts, locate photos and e-mail memories of the man and the place where he died. It seemed to us that the family should know of other soldiers from Delta Company, including those who were wounded and especially those whose names can also be found on the Wall near their father’s. In this effort, I salute the kindness and compassion of Peter Joannides, Gary Grady, Robert Williams, Robert Wagoner, Patrick McDermott, Charles Fink, Robby Broadaway, Marty Gushwa, Wayne Garret, Rodney Lewis and Ricky Jones, all brave and honorable men. I value the recent opportunity to work with these men in support of the Andujar family.

The Andujar children were very young when the war took their father. He, in turn, was a father denied the joy of watching his five children grow into talented and productive citizens of the nation for which he gave his life. Yes, there is much indeed behind a name on the long black Wall.

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