Veteran of the Day
July 17, 2026
A Family’s Extraordinary Sacrifice
Technical Sergeant Richard Bernard Fitzgibbon Jr.
United States Air Force
and
Lance Corporal Richard Bernard Fitzgibbon III
United States Marine Corps
The Only Family That Lost Both Father and Son During the Vietnam War’s Earliest Years
A Legacy of Service
There are military families whose commitment to America spans generations.
The Fitzgibbon family paid a price few can truly comprehend.
A father answered the call.
Years later…
His son followed.
Neither returned home.
Together, they became one of only three known father and son pairs whose names appear on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a testament to a family’s extraordinary devotion to duty.
A Father’s Example
Technical Sergeant Richard Bernard Fitzgibbon Jr. served first in the United States Navy during World War II, earning the Purple Heart.
Following the war, he continued serving in the newly formed United States Air Force.
Assigned to the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Saigon, he became the first American service member officially recognized as having died during the Vietnam War on June 8, 1956.
At the time, few Americans realized a new conflict had already begun.
Following in His Father’s Footsteps
Richard’s son, Lance Corporal Richard Bernard Fitzgibbon III, grew up knowing the example his father had set.
Rather than turning away from military service after his father’s death, he chose to wear the uniform himself.
He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
On September 7, 1965, while serving in Vietnam, Lance Corporal Fitzgibbon III was killed in action during one of the opening months of America’s major combat involvement.
Like his father before him, he answered duty’s call without hesitation.
Two Generations
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial tells thousands of individual stories.
Few are as deeply personal as this one.
A father.
A son.
Separated by nine years.
United forever by honor.
Today, they rest together in Blue Hill Cemetery in Braintree, Massachusetts.
Their sacrifice reminds us that war often reaches far beyond a single battlefield or a single generation.
Reflection
“Some families give one generation to freedom.
Others give two.
The Fitzgibbons gave both.”
A Legacy That Lives On
The story of the Fitzgibbons reminds us that service is more than a profession.
It is a calling.
It is a legacy.
It is a promise passed from one generation to the next.
Their names now stand together in history, reminding every American that freedom has always been purchased by families willing to sacrifice everything.
We Remember
Today, we proudly honor
Technical Sergeant Richard Bernard Fitzgibbon Jr.
United States Air Force
and
Lance Corporal Richard Bernard Fitzgibbon III
United States Marine Corps
A father.
A son.
Two patriots.
One everlasting legacy.
The Micky Spano Radio Show proudly honors the Fitzgibbon family as our Veteran of the Day for July 17, 2026.