life expectancy of an infantry soldier in vietnam

From a military standpoint, it was almost an unprecedented performance. I was told to help carry one of the bodies. Some 23% of Vietnam vets had fathers with professional, managerial This makes our site more accessible to the blind, visually impaired, motor disabled, people with cognitive disabilities and more. Contents 1 Unclear objectives 2 North Vietnamese strategy Our Aussie Dust off choppers had door gunners, we worked on the theory if the Noggies would shot at Red Cross choppers, we would return fire, Aussie grunt, 60000 00 Aussies fought in Vietnam, Up the Old Red Rooster and more beer. Which soldier had the shortest life-expectancy? - Quora I want to know what the life expectancy of a us infantry army soldier is. US Wings recently added to OTEXA's Made in U.S.A. It was more or less next man up . It was very nearly my last. Lucky you. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. For example, life expectancy of Veterans at age 25 population, thus 3.6 and 0.5 life-years smaller income differentials for male and female Veterans, respectively, shown in Tables 17 and 18. As a Huey door gunner, when we left the ground on a mission, I always thought that this mission would be my last! I was a cmbt engr demolition specialist carried a 45 auto and an M70 grenade launcher in addition to the C-4 and Det Cord. I was an Infantry Scout Dog handler. (and yes, you cant ask them, so it would have to be derived from the AA-reports and survivors). The machine guns were numbered within each platoon. We (Americans) had nothing to do with controlling VNAF, according to Lieutenant General (Ret) James F. Hollingsworth, the Commanding General of TRAC at that time. Soldiers also act in the mobilization of vehicles, weaponry, troops, and more. General Westmoreland quoting Douglas Pike (a professor at the University of California, Berkeley), a major military defeat for the VC and NVA. (You can unsubscribe anytime), The US Wings website is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) compliant and adheres to their standards for accessibility of the internet so people with disabilities can surf the web more easily & efficiently. You just do the best job you can and if you got hit, so be it! In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans group. Vietnam War the helicopters that came in to transport soldiers were the hardest hit with mass casualties . Joe DeLong joined the company, and Sholly informed me that he would be the M60 gunner. Units would send a thorough report of their KIA and WIA, battle action coordinates, estimated enemy troop strength, enemy unit KIA/captured and any known direction heading. The fact that PDoggbiker cant find any decent calculation/explanation, tells us a lot. So I guess i lasted longer than I was supposed to. What was the average life expectancy for soldiers during World War 2 As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. ), special forces, combat support, engineering, medics, and vehicle assault weapons. I saw killed and wounded everywhere in our combat operations. Many were killed or wounded ! As some said, averages are meaningless. It was one of my most memorable tours in the Navy I later went to a carrier and was bored silly because I had about 1% of the responsibilities I had as an O-2. 4 Paul Domke, who carried extra belts of ammo and fed them into the gun. We were told in training that the life expectancy of a machine gunner was about seven seconds from the moment the first round was fired. May was eventually able to hand off 2nd Platoons No. I handled Top Secret Commo on a daily basis. I just wanted to get off No. Wow I was 31.8 Gun shot Carried model 1200 Winchester shot gun WIA May 68 Article was great. Of the eight who remained, seven were wounded. What percentage of Vietnam veterans actually saw combat? I carried the PRC-25 Radio most of that time. I applaud the courage and difficult and all so dangerous job of Roger Herforth when he served as an RTO for the Hawk Recon Platoon of the 101st airborne division in Vietnam.. As I was running to the rivers edge, ready to unload on the VC hiding in the elephant grass, I ran past a grass hut and never bothered to clear it. How many draftees died in Vietnam? - 2023 Soldier,this is a wardont forget that, and anytime we are in a fight we will be toughest SOBs in the fight!! Such as in the song Jimmy by M.I.A look at aaja in the dictionary My indian boyfriend told me is meaning come to me, 6 Answers I have never had or heard of that particular brand, but have had several here in Canada, plus a number in the Caribbean and Asia, and there all the same, small cut hot dogs in a can, no need q now please.. Name the major nerves that serve the following body areas:? I am 16 years old an 150 pounds qith some good muscle. The life expectancy of a radio operator in the Vietnam War ranged between five to six seconds all the way up to a slightly-more-optimistic thirty seconds, depending on your source. located on the South End of, the Post. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture, was Vietnamese. Together we had passed the test. The U.S. Army Infantryman Vietnam Pocket Manual Review - HistoryNet Certainly got my attention. Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. At Fort Lewis, every recruit learned to operate various weapons. maybe your question i vauge. We ambushed and got ambushed, firebase got attacked who carried what or did what had no bearing. We went out typically in two boat patrols one lead one cover . Sometimes on Family Guy when there about to take someones heart out they say, calimar or maybe its spelled different. What unit lost the most soldiers in Vietnam? I think those numbers are percentages of US KIA, not mortality times. The trailer for that video can be seen by googling the title, and it might still be sold on Amazon. So I guess I defied the odds. You were a Great RTO. Change). Not to mention that right now its safer than some cities in the us. Combatants on both sides faced physical challenges posed by the climate, terrain and wildlife of the country. RIP KOOKIE forever young, Thank god you are still alive, I am age 77. Fact: Servicemen who went to Vietnam from well-to-do areas had a slightly elevated risk of dying because they were more likely to be pilots or infantry officers. We took fire all the time and responded. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). He was killed in an ambush along with three others. The rule of thumb was , any new guys would get the radio and keep it until another new guy came in. NFS. We were all in our Bunkers, and at the ready with our weapons. The group found the first man killed and carried him up the hill, placing his body right next to me. The CACF is the basis for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall): Average age of 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years. In Vietnam, 1 in 400 of the wounded died of their . As we approached the battle, we heard intense firing. Now, the wisdom of this soldier tough but humanly compassionate warrior ethos can be assessed through the 2d Bn recordNO complaints about mistreatment of prisonerswhile achieving the most combat SUCCESSES IN THE BRIGADE. wias. Sorry,I was one of your Brothers in Arms that helped talk you out of enlisting for another year in Vietnam. We had run patrols for about a month when I first saw action. I always found life expectancy numbers interesting in that I could never find any supporting information that could be validated. Life Expectancy by Country and in the World (2023) - Worldometer According to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) there are now officially 58, 318 names on the wall. My shit got weak and a sniper popped three rounds in my young ass. Soon I could take the gun apart and put it back together in the dark. The fact is that most machine gunners, RTOs, junior officers and other extremely dangerous jobs survived the war. 1 Gun kept a lot of enemy heads down. While traveling through the boonies the first few men were usually always shot first. It is Honor in the Valley of Tears. Thanks for posting! I picked up my M60 and walked to the center of the perimeter, where I found the company commander, Capt. Very Good , I was a radio operator up in I corps in 68 & to me the worst thing was the walking . In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. Statistics about the Vietnam War - VHPA The 4th Platoon survivors stayed put for the night. AS LEADERS IN AMERICAS SERVICES WE MUST BE PROFICIENT AND READY TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSIONS- Needless too say I depended on Sgt. African Americans played a prominent role in the Vietnam War. When we reached Company A, we placed our dead in the center of the two-company perimeter. As the entire platoon hit the ground, I saw guys crawling back toward me. Fact: No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. I didnt want any medals. Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. The peace settlement was signed in Paris on 27 January 1973. Express your answer in terms of x. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. I always felt that Infantry units were in more danger because of ambush issues and no permanent defensive structures. 11 c mos , meaning I was also cross trained for mortars . The fall of Saigon happened 30 April 1975, two years AFTER the American military left Vietnam. My heart was pounding out of my chest. Cruz quite a lot. Interesting, I carried a Prick 25, for 2 months. The Vietnam War gave us trouble because we didnt know how to counteract against guerrilla warfare in a jungle (dont forget that the US Army was switching to M16s, which often jammed). We fought to an agreed stalemate. In Company A, 22 men had been killedadded to the seven killed in Company B. Three-fourths had family incomes above the poverty level; 50% were from middle income backgrounds. Ever since that fateful day in 1967, I have often wondered what became of my beloved M60. If you ask people who live in these countries that won the war in Vietnam, they have a different opinion from the American news media. I was in the AF a Reo in a F4-C. Who had time to worry about the life We soon learned that the NVA troops were very different from the local guerrillas we had fought around Tuy Hoa. In the hands of a well-trained machine gunner, the M60 was a devastating weaponso feared by our opponents that they usually aimed their first shots at the machine gunners, who were often in positions exposed to enemy fire. I was a grunt with c co. 4/31 196th it inf bade. I carried the PRC-25 for most of a year. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phucs brothers were killed in this incident. is sharing facts, thats truly good, keep up writing. And dug Berms, in the area. Sure but so was everyone else who went 12 months without getting killed or wounded. Without the helicopter it would have taken three times as many troops to secure the 800 mile border with Cambodia and Laos (the politicians thought the Geneva Conventions of 1954 and the Geneva Accords or 1962 would secure the border). Although we do tend to bomb a lot, thats only half of what we do. If the enemy was near, we never saw any. However, it was the discretion of the individual crewmen if they wanted to carry personal weapons or not. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. I remember we were always short of replacements throughout 1968 because of the high Kia & wounded rate we suffered at that time ! I was over there twice serving as a Hospital Corpsman with a marine unit. 1 Gun used to kill Americans? See also: Population As of April 14, 2017, there are 1,611 Americans still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War across Vietnam (1,258), Laos(297), Cambodia(49), and China(7). Michael Doolittle..I was with 1/8 inf, 1st Brigade, and that day, March 22nd was also our darkest day. TONY DISAGREED> hE SAID TAKE A 19 YEAR OLD, WHO HAS JUST TAKEN TWO ROUNDS TO HIS BODY, And IS watching his best friend die from multiple, bleeding wounds he wont give a shit about the Geneva Convention. 1ST MAW 66-68. Naturally I was excited at the opportunity to join Sanzone, but at the same time I hated leaving 2nd Platoons No. I quit trying to make sense of all the numbers that have been generated about Vietnam. I carried the proc 26 radio after I was asked by my field 1st ( E 7 ) if I would for my platoon . HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. Each company had eight M60s. Back home he returned to hairdressing and got a job at Kenneth Salon in New York City working with top models and fashion magazine editors. endstream endobj 4315 0 obj <>/Metadata 89 0 R/Pages 4312 0 R/StructTreeRoot 120 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 4316 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Parent 4312 0 R/Resources<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 4317 0 obj <>stream Was I lucky ? The last American troops departed in their entirety 29 March 1973. At age 55, World War 2 Veterans 'No. 1 Gun': An M60 Machine Gunner in Vietnam Tells His Story - HistoryNet He was wounded and suffered permanent disability shortly before his tour was up. We were about 700 yards east of Company A when it was ambushed by an NVA battalion. I told by RTO that i could carry my own radio, When he agreed he was humping ammo. endstream endobj startxref I have a fried Who is killed in Vietnam six months before I got there cause of death was other how would I find out since his parents are long gone, Do a search for his name n Coffeltdatabase.org, Sir, would you mind me translating this into Spanish and getting it posted in our blog? 1 gun and was hoping it would stay that way. The earliest casualty record contains a date of death of . I was still pondering the move to 4th Platoon when U.S. Air Force jets screamed over the treetops with canisters of napalm. I was one of the lucky ones I came home without a physical scratch. Completa las oraciones con la forma correcta del presente de subjuntivo de los verbos entre parntesis.? I would carry when on ambush. Nobody attacked, where we were. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in battle on - Quora 87% of Americans hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. Vietnam War soldiers endured many hardships and faced many problems. Then we all, loaded on C-147 cargo planes. The trailer for Fury claims that the average life expectancy of an The Organization of the Viet Cong Units in the South never recovered. Do the math. S/F, There were no door gunners on dustoffs. The TOTAL number of CIB and CMB awarded would give you the answer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nevertheless, I swung No. Then we learned, appx: 1 mile to our North was, an American AMMO storage area. I, in turn, would take an M16 rifle, which felt like a feather in comparison. Then I dropped back down in the streambed to organize our ammo. Surrounded by an enemy battalion, our hopelessly outnumbered platoon waged a desperate battle for survival. 101st Airborne Division. My father was on a lrrp team!65-67never was shot but killed alot.He never really got over it though died in 2012! Death by a Bottle! The Army suffered the most total casualties, 38,179 or 2.7 percent of its force. We are a woman-owned small business and Veteran-owned incorporated in Ohio. . Welcome Home Brothers ! But it was my jobso I tried not to think about it much. Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division. https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. We had 5 kias and roughly 50 wounded in our company so about one in three got hit. I was with HHC and 1st Platoon C Company in 70-71. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. I knew some of this, but certainly not all. life expectancy of an infantry soldier in vietnam - lbgf.org Yes, I made E4 at graduation, that was considered a NCO then. We wanted a break. I also earned a Combat Infantryman Badge, signifying that I had been actively engaged in combat. PDF Mortality Rates and Life Expectancy of Veterans from 1980 to 2017, and Why is my internet redirecting to gslbeacon.ligit.com and how do I STOP THIS. There were almost twice as many casualties in Southeast Asia (primarily Cambodia) the first two years, after the fall of Saigon in 1975, than there were during the ten years the U.S. was involved in Vietnam. In all that time, the Tet 1968 fighting in Saigon was the only time the unit fought a pitched urban battlevery unusual during the war. A battery of big 155 mm howitzers blasted the tiny platoon perimeter, tearing trees out of the ground and hurling chunks of red-hot shell splinters through the air. Sept 69 to Sept 70. The Marine Corps lost 14,836, or 5 percent . The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. Me, a vehicle mechanic with Btry E, 41st Arty Quads 1970. The key may be the word initial since we became more savvy with successive combats and had improved survivability. I think the number of Army and Hospital Corpsmen serving with the Marine Corp was very high, with the ratio of the number of them over there. If you look at all of the things the radio operators were tasked with, it becomes abundantly clear why commo guys weren't expected to last long. 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served. 240 men were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War. Shermans had fairly thin armor (76mm at the thickest compared to a Tiger with 180mm at the thickest with most around 100mm). The next three weeks passed uneventfully. How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive In 2022? - CLJ I had a 20% death rate in my Hospital Corpsman Class. The Australian Vietnam veteran study assessed the postservice mortality of 19 205 Vietnam veterans and 25 677 non-Vietnam veterans through 1981. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? I was stationed on 2 FSBs (8 & 175mm guns) west of Tay Ninh on the Cambodian boarder in the Ho Chi Minh trail and was wounded but nothing as bad as he was. The casualty rate in the current war today is a fraction. 4 Charlie Ranallo, were on No. The incredibly important role in the U.S. Army is responsible for defending the country through real-life combat. The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. Thank You Roger!!! Really no mention of the regular rifleman. Ambushed on October 4th,1967. Though I flew only about 1/2 dozen missions as a Huey door gunner, I was initially told to sit on my flak jacket I always did so (personal protection first). _____ 1. They were not randomly selected but simply the best at doing it. I was a medic on one for two yrs and the only weapon I was issue was a six-shot .38. Some very close calls but I am alive at age 74. 8h%5HF8r,X'q#Vtgz%)P/Oi#rU(uO&*Xx1t^=xVLi Before he was drafted Renza had worked as a hairdresser for women in his hometown of Peekskill, New York. 4 Bill May and Spc. Keep in step with US Wings Join our newsletter to receive all our latest news and offers, Example: Yes, I would like to receive emails from US Wings. It was on the Job Training ! I was shot down on my very first mission in July 1968. Two points: 1) at least in Army units, Medevacs (dust offs) flew unarmed aircraft. Soon after, Pfc. This makes calculations of those alive, even in 2017, difficult to maintain. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. a RTO got killed, it happened within 5 seconds but not that always ALL RTOs got killed. They also had a 12 gauge, and a M 79 grenade launcher and M 16. Commanders like him were few and far between many were afraid of their own shadow and were only there to get their ticket punched. Fortunately, it was recorded on Spotify and can be listened to here: Thank you for both articles: (1)Going up river to port and (2) the flight from Italy back to Nam. I spent my year in Vietnam with the 1/22nd infantry part of the 4th division. What the hell did you hit him with? one of our men shouted. Theres 58,276. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. Ron. Just to show that its hard to get an accurate number, note my typo of 56,220. The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9.

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