Support for the USS Frank E Evans amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act
Seventy-four US Navy Sailors were killed on 3 June 1969, in service to their country
aboard the destroyer USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754.) when it collided with HMAS
Melbourne in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam. Their names are not inscribed
on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. due to administrative oversights,
inconsistent data sources and erroneous assumptions made at the time of the development of
the memorial. These oversights and erroneous assumptions have been corrected by thorough
analysis conducted by legislators on both sides of the aisle including Congressman Adam
Schiff (D-CA), Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND).
I am writing today to urge your support for the USS Frank E. Evans amendments to
the National Defense Authorization Act when they are presented for vote in the Senate.
These first of the amendments seeks to rectify this tragic omission by instructing the
Secretary of Defense to authorize the inclusion on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in
the District of Columbia of the names of the 74 crew members of the USS Frank E. Evans
killed on June 3, 1969, in collaboration and consultation with the Secretary of the Interior,
the American Battlefield Monuments Commission, and other applicable authorities. The
second amendment instructs the Government Accountability Office to conduct a feasibility
study into adding the names to the Wall.
In closing, the families of the “Lost 74”, survivors of the tragic event, shipmates and
friends all remain hopeful that you and your colleagues will bring a honorable conclusion to
this long journey and recognize those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter. I again urge you to support the
USS Frank E. Evans amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act.
“Lest We Forget”
Letter Campaign by
Novato, California
