life expectancy of an infantry soldier in vietnam

The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. . We all die, so its not even worth worrying about when in my opinion, id rather do something that i knew was worth it and risk dieing instead of living in fear of death. Fact: The domino theory was accurate. Here are statistics from the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF) as of November 1993. BS but ia a way you are correct. No creo que Susana _____ (seguir) sobre los consejos de su mdico. Do the math. I credit my longetivity to great training at Ft Benning. Background [ edit] I assisted Vessey and Capt Cartwright by helping prepare the Bee Hive Rounds (first time they were ever used), firing 4 rounds at proximity 0 range into a human wave attack on or weak side after 5 hours of relentless attacks on the opposite side of the perimeter Those 4 rounds killed @ 400 enemy soldiers, of the 881 total enemy losss John Vessey later became a 4 Star general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs appointed by Reagan 1983, and at retirement became Chair of the POW MIA Commission for 14 years, Passing away in August 2016 just 6 months before our 50th Reunion. I prayed I would not have to fire over the heads of the 4th Platoon troops entering the draw to retrieve our dead. MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. Had multiple Ks and Ws. 4 Charlie Ranallo, were on No. E)V_5lu[vC3+"vg2L& Was Billeted near an Army medevac Unit and was offered a chance to lay on my stomach with an M16 and door gun for them I decided not a good Idea. I was trained as a RTO in 1970 at Fort Ord then went to Fort Gordon for teletype school, my MOS was 05C20 when I finished. 240 men were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War. An Hinglish word (Hindi/English). The Statistics in the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF 11/93) show an average age of death much higher than that of news reports. Different jobs have different life expectancy. Then we all, loaded on C-147 cargo planes. Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. Thats why I never understand people talking about survivors guilt it should have been me, why him? etc. I was an Infantry Scout Dog handler. If you were an administrative officer or clerk in an air-conditioned trailer in Saigon, your war might be a lot like peacetime duty. Me, a vehicle mechanic with Btry E, 41st Arty Quads 1970. He said when they were ambushed they took defensive positions, returned fire, called for assistance when needed, and retreated when necessary. As soon as he did, a round hit him in the forehead, blowing out the back of his skull. My first tour was as an advisor to the VN Abn. We soon learned that the NVA troops were very different from the local guerrillas we had fought around Tuy Hoa. hbbd```b`` ,&Iw sA '#o Sorry,I was one of your Brothers in Arms that helped talk you out of enlisting for another year in Vietnam. 82nd 2/505th. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Address: 9241 13th Ave SW 4314 0 obj <> endobj Just to show that its hard to get an accurate number, note my typo of 56,220. We were probably not too far away on that day. located on the South End of, the Post. Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. El subjuntivo Carrying a dead man some 300 yards through thick jungle in 100-degree heat was extraordinarily difficult. We had one RTO killed because he was too close to a 2ND Lt, same thing happened to another RTO. The group found the first man killed and carried him up the hill, placing his body right next to me. 1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August, 1995 (census figures). But it was my jobso I tried not to think about it much. Dap, Hope this helps. As we approached the battle, we heard intense firing. Over the next two months, we exchanged fire with groups of the NVA. Bruce Grandstaff and my best friend, Sgt. my left and saw this rice paddie farmer and his ox and I was trying to motion him to get down he just looks at me and starts 23,24 This study found that the death rate for Vietnam veterans was 1.3 times that for non-Vietnam veterans; however, the excess deaths were limited to Engineer Corps members (RR, 2.5). Soldiers also act in the mobilization of vehicles, weaponry, troops, and more. I kept the radio because I understood the power of having the first communication with the support mechanisms of the military. Soon I could take the gun apart and put it back together in the dark. _____ 1. Life expectancy at birth. 5 seconds. 101st Airborne Division. Information presented by SFC (Ret) David Hack. I was a REMF but Ive heard of 05Cs that were stuck out in the boonies on a firebase. I was a grunt with c co. 4/31 196th it inf bade. I lost my cherry very early. Also, it would mean the killed RTOs died within seconds of the fight (it doesnt distinguish between ambush or regular fight, eg. The last American troops departed in their entirety 29 March 1973. Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. Anyway I was wondering about the RTOs in a grunt platoon, was that their MOS or were they 11B that carried a PRC ? Welcome home. B)Enter the the Ksp expression forC2D3 in terms of the molar solubility x. Jimmy aaja -M.I.A. He served as a sergeant with the Big Red One in Lai Khe, Vietnam. Deltoid muscle _____ 2. means: 1 gets killed the 1st second, another one after 9 seconds avg. Activated in 1915, as the 173rd Infantry Brigade, the unit saw service in World War II but is best known for its actions during the Vietnam War. I was one of the many others I rode river boats in the Mekong Jan 68 to 69. The 4th Platoons single machine gun crewthe platoon had entered the fight short a gunhad been killed in the fighting, and I was to be moved there. Sept 69 to Sept 70. 76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds. well i have been army infantry for 12 years with 2 deployments, and still going strong. endstream endobj startxref See you in the next life!!!!! I wasnt aware that they kept life expectancy statistics. It was just north of Saigon. to the empployees was very informative. May they rest in peace. They were lazy, cowardly and of questionable loyalty, especially the RUFF/PUFFS, and they would steal your under ware if given half a chance. RIght there and the NVA we were usually up against knew this. Four platoons in a rifle company. 2) by my research, medics suffered 93% casualties with about 33% deaths. How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? 1 Gun more than I did. Some of my men didnt. 0 You seen the enemy you shots him and vice versa. Staying alive was kinda of important. His comparison to a FB was that if we were fired on we returned fire and requested assistance when needed. They were a great bunch. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture, was Vietnamese. I was lucky too but VN never left me. Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. This is hard to believe, losing nearly 711,000 between 95 and 00. Got hit inside 15 minutes, first ambush we walked up too. Vietnam War the helicopters that came in to transport soldiers were the hardest hit with mass casualties . He was not the type to hump a radio. 1 Gun was on my hip with the safety off, ready to rock and roll. See my calculation below in the comments bogus indeed. Together we had passed the test. Needless too say I depended on Sgt. 87% of Americans hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. 1 Gun used to kill Americans? The income differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14, however, are estimated to be smaller. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. In a strange country scared shitless .I was a minesweeper.My first time out on a mission they put me on the drag line fifty yards from the road which was route 1, Then all hell broke lose We were expecting, an attack. Suddenly I realized that my platoon sergeant was screaming at me to stop firing. To keep busy on the boat ride to Vietnam, my unitCompany B, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regimentheld competitions where we took the gun apart and put it back together while blindfolded to see who could do it fastest. As I made it back to the road I remember seeing the Ron. I met a Marine a few years ago who was stationed North of Da Nang. We all have opinions, this is mine. A "Sapper" is a combat engineer soldier who is with the front line infantry troops. We were all in our Bunkers, and at the ready with our weapons. I was constantly untangling the barrel and bipod of the gun from grasping vines and branches. I was a 2nd Lt. Infantry platoon Leader. Rules may have changed, I was in the Delta region. Nobody attacked, where we were. I may not have hit anyone that day, but I am certain that No. A dense mass of elephant grass hung over the riverbank, and he ducked under it. The enemy fire ceased, and we made arrangements to collect our dead before continuing on to Company A. Your Dad and I had the same job. 1 Gun and I survived our first firefight. 67-67 11B 4th Id. Great reading. We went out typically in two boat patrols one lead one cover . Prayers for all. 85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life. DeLong was later killed attempting to escape from a North Vietnamese prisoner of war camp in Cambodia. Flipping the safety off, I scanned the jungle in front of me. The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9. I was on a radar crew and we were told that, during war time, we would most likely be killed within minutes. They also had a 12 gauge, and a M 79 grenade launcher and M 16. Of the eight who remained, seven were wounded. Or is it on display in a Hanoi museum so curious citizens of that city can inspect a weapon captured from American imperialists? %%EOF As some said, averages are meaningless. It was more or less next man up . Average age of men killed: 23.1 years Total Deaths: 23.11 years Enlisted: 50,274; 22.37 years Officers: 6,598; 28.43 years Warrants: 1,276; 24.73 years E1: 525; 20.34 years Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old. Contents1 [] 1 gun! Everyone laughed. Never knew they had life expectancy stats. I worried about that kind of leadership style in the highlands. The Davis Station in Saigon was named for him. So I guess i lasted longer than I was supposed to. We then took all Trucks and equipment to the Port Of Saigon. I was a helicopter pilot 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. DeLong had only fired the weapon once in training, so I let him fire off a few rounds to practice. An interesting essay, even more interesting are the comments. The Army suffered the most total casualties, 38,179 or 2.7 percent of its force. As I remember it the life expectancy was based on after the ambush was sprung or the fire fight started. Overrun and utterly destroyed, the 30-man 4th Platoon had suffered 21 killed and one missing. I saw aircraft loaded with troops explode in mid-air. 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. 1 Gun had registered its first kill. However, inaccurately reported, the News Media made the Tet Offensive famous. Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old. Change). I personally believe and agree with previous posts that when its your time, not much you can do. The United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. I would carry when on ambush. KICK ASS AS NEEDED!!! As the entire platoon hit the ground, I saw guys crawling back toward me. Also , it I might add that the, Government big wigs, have a quota [percentage]of a lot of the Military equipment etc that had a certain amount of time to function until it was disable, blow up, wrecked, junk, etc. I quit trying to make sense of all the numbers that have been generated about Vietnam. 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! Some unfortunately also came home with physical scars. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. A Co, 1/5 Cav, 1 Cav Division. Interesting, I carried a Prick 25, for 2 months. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. Corrections and confirmations to this errored index resulted in the addition of 358 U.S. military personnel confirmed to have served in Vietnam but not originally listed by the Department of Defense (All names are currently on file and accessible 24/7/365). 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. The machine guns were numbered within each platoon. C Co, 1st-12th 66-67. We fought to an agreed stalemate. I had yet to fire a shot with No. Quickly learned to control rate of fire. Thats my experience. My heart was pounding out of my chest. It was reported as an overwhelming success for the Communist forces and a decided defeat for the U.S. forces. The first thing my platoon sgt. 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 picked up my M60 and walked to the center of the perimeter, where I found the company commander, Capt. I was an FO back in the day. When Apache Snow began, I was an RTO, after Airborne, and before the CA on Dong Ap Bia, I became the AG for Roeski. I was an M-60 machine gunner for a battalion recon platoon in 1967, for the First Infantry Division, Known as The Black Scarf Battalion. News media have reported tha an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc.Those are incorrect. 2023 CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website, RTO, John Scheur. I wasnt sure if the VC had moved to right or left, so I sprayed the elephant grass in both directions. Interesting but something is missing. I was told my life expectancy was about 45 secs during a fire fight because of the weapons and demo I carried. Out of the 3,000,000 men and women in our armed forces and reserves, we have lost 4,500 in this 9 year war. My friend May, I later learned, was doing the same thing in 2nd Platoon. If there was anything to this life expectancy of a few minutes then myself and many of my friends that are still alive today would be a long time dead. 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. So do us all a favor and please learn to be tolerant, intelligent, and active. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. Re: Helicopter Crews (Medevac & Dustoff): To my knowledge, only the 1st Cav Medevac had M60s for protection. ), special forces, combat support, engineering, medics, and vehicle assault weapons. We had run patrols for about a month when I first saw action. No. The average life expectancy of a Soviet soldier during the height of the battle was just 24 hours. Tumbling end over end, the canisters exploded in a white-hot fireball. I, in turn, would take an M16 rifle, which felt like a feather in comparison. Like most inexperienced gunners, he underestimated the power of the pig and failed to keep the barrel down when firing. No. The earliest casualty record contains a date of death of . We wanted a break. Hey Robert I was with the 38th Scout Dog Plt. What is the life expectancy of Vietnam veterans? Very memorable comments. Your email address will not be published. I was an Artillery Forward Observer 13F20 E-5 at that time. Isolated atrocities committed by American Soldiers produced torrents of outrage from anti-war critics and the news media while Communist atrocities were so common that they received hardly any media mention at all. Explore the Life of a U.S. Infantryman in Vietnam. I was a medic on one for two yrs and the only weapon I was issue was a six-shot .38. . In the last 5 years the symptoms of PTSD and AO are starting getting worse in me. The rule of thumb was , any new guys would get the radio and keep it until another new guy came in. It was a daily challenge to know who your real enemy was. Fighters and planes dont make up the Army, thats the Air Force. Company B had seven dead, Grandstaff announced, and I was to take No. RIP KOOKIE forever young, Thank god you are still alive, I am age 77. The Marine Corps lost 14,836, or 5 percent . None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. An infantry platoon commander in combat had an average of 6 weeks life expectancy. Amen I was a machine gunner for 7 months 503rd infantry 173rd airborne and you hit the nail right on the head. Wow I was 31.8 Gun shot Carried model 1200 Winchester shot gun WIA May 68 Article was great. The 4th Platoon survivors stayed put for the night. How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? And yes, please God, bless America. We walked the mountains and rice patties all thru Tu Thien Province. Sure but so was everyone else who went 12 months without getting killed or wounded. Just published my book The Last Goodbye by John Fratangelo, available on line on Barnes and Noble and Amazon Prime Books, Getting great reviews. wias. I didnt make a move without that gun beside me. This article appeared in the October 2021 issue of Vietnam magazine. As I made my way to the river, I saw a VC guerrilla jump into the water on the other side. We took fire all the time and responded. 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served. 2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans group. See also: Population en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_losses_of If youre a foreigner, I respect what you think, but make sure you read ALL your facts, and dont come to rash conclusion until you know everything from BOTH sides. Cruz quite a lot. The man listed as missing was machine gunner Joe DeLong, captured along with No. General Vo Nguyen Giap, the designer of the Tet Offensive, is considered by some as ranking with Wellington, Grant, Lee and MacArthur as a great commander. Robert Sholly, standing with Platoon Sgt. Men and women die everyday. Five RTOs. No trees or anything on the ground. The average age of the 58,148 US Servicemembers killed in Vietnam was . On average US troops served 1-2 years in Vietnam, and the percentage of troops killed was actually fairly low for a war this size, 2.14% of all who served were killed, the life expectancy was roughly around 1 year, 5 months and 3 weeks (taking into account the 1-2 year difference in some troops's serving times) Sponsored by Primal Labs When we reached Company A, we placed our dead in the center of the two-company perimeter. Yes, I made E4 at graduation, that was considered a NCO then. My dad died of cancer at 52. I was already lugging around a 24-pound weapon, 300 rounds of ammo and a pack that weighed a good 45 pounds. Mech. Love you Wortman!!!! I loved it. They run into the fire to help the wounded and many get wounded or killed. He also worked on Jacqueline Kennedys hair pieces and wigs. The Bronze Star was awarded to ALL that were awarded the CIB in WWII because the Infantry accounted for over 70% of the casualties in WWLL BUT NOT 70% )F ALL THE INFANTRY !!! I saw killed and wounded everywhere in our combat operations. Express your answer in terms of x. I was in the AF a Reo in a F4-C. Who had time to worry about the life What Was It Like To Hump The Boonies in Vietnam? It means, IF (!) Welcome Home Roger. LUCK pure LUCK. However, it was the discretion of the individual crewmen if they wanted to carry personal weapons or not. I am 81 now and survived the encounter by terminated the sniper. Over 600 Navy FMF Hospital Corpsmen were killed in Vietnam. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the VietnamWar? The blasts from the AMMO, really lit up the whole area. Spent my year in a Recon platoon 2/35th 4th ID. Two rounds smashed into a log inches above my head. The machine gun was also mounted in the UH-1 Huey helicopter and other Army aircraft. The dead were placed on ponchos. An infantry platoon commander in combat had an average of 6 weeks life expectancy. 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. I spent my year in Vietnam with the 1/22nd infantry part of the 4th division. Surrounded by an enemy battalion, our hopelessly outnumbered platoon waged a desperate battle for survival. I was in 2nd Platoon and carried the platoons No. Enemy fire greeted as us as soon as we landed near the village. 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 Soldier,this is a wardont forget that, and anytime we are in a fight we will be toughest SOBs in the fight!! 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). I was still pondering the move to 4th Platoon when U.S. Air Force jets screamed over the treetops with canisters of napalm. Army Infantrymen (11B) are the main land combat force, and known as "Eleven Bravo.". We are a woman-owned small business and Veteran-owned incorporated in Ohio. I for one commend you for your courage and thank you for your service to your country. HOOAH!!! Spanish Help (Getty Images) Most war stories are about soldiers and battles. BUT WE MUST ALSO BE COGNIZANT OF OUR REQUIREMENT TO BE COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEINGS. Why is my internet redirecting to gslbeacon.ligit.com and how do I STOP THIS. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. To cut the Ho Chi Minh Traila week after the mission endedthe trail was booming with business from the north.. I got shot on a mission with 45 days left. Two of my classmates were killed within 2 weeks incountry and three wounded I know of. Interesting reading. We were like sitting Ducks. Videos, Film, Music, and Movies about VN War, Author interview War & Life: Discussions with a Veteran, A Chat Between Three Veterans [live video with author], Lest We Forget Meet the Authors & Book Signing April 4th: Cherries and Donut Dolly, Interview with author John Podlaski in Examiner Magazine, American Heroes Radio interviews author of Cherries A Vietnam War Novel, Cherries Author Interviewed on British Website, U.K. Blogspot posts interviews author, John Podlaski, More Book Reviews and author interviews about Cherries, Les Scates, U.S. Army (Ret.) Was I lucky ? I was a point man, M60 Gunner and squad leader. I did worry about the strength of my flax vest. Can I use this word like this: The addressal by the C.E.O. But I made it back in one piece. 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. Its just (bad) luck, fate, randomness theres no right or wrong, no justice or fairness, no reasoning. Point was the safest place to be,they knew to wait for key elements, RTO, Medica, M60 Gunners. One afternoon, while Company B was still in the Tuy Hoa area, we received orders to gather up our gear and get ready to board choppers for an assault into a hot landing zone. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. NFS. The helicopter provided unprecedented mobility. Hack volunteered for service in Vietnam in 1968, joining the 1st Infantry Division. And us the living that served, who suffer from PTSD ,that figure or percent-aged would be about the greatest of all. "And in seizing the firm land at the . From Cam Rahn, we kept flying north to, a Landing Zone near QUANG TRI. (and yes, you cant ask them, so it would have to be derived from the AA-reports and survivors). Love this analysis. Originally I went to the 543d TC. Despite initial victories by the Communists forces, the Tet Offensive resulted in a major defeat of those forces. Here is an 18 The other group of aeromedical evacuation were divisional, i.e. I served in A Company 3/22 of the 3rd Brigade 4th Infantry 12/66, then Hq Co 2/12 of the 3rd Brigade 25th Inf until the night of the TET offensive end of January 1968 and returned home July 18 1968. Total fantasy. Cluster F, SNAFU and FUBAR fer sur. Assigned to HHC 1/77 Armor, 1st, BDE 5th Inf. That same day, I along with 3/4 others was transported to Long Bhin Post. The three of us had trained together at Fort Lewis and were good friends. The body felt as though it weighed considerably more than it looked. Nervous, I set up my gun on the hill and loaded a new hundred-round belt. They used the callsign MEDIVAC and were armed. You can find the polarity of a compound by finding electronegativities (an atoms desire for an electron) of the atoms; Carbon has an electronegativity of 2.5, compared to Fluorines A) Enter the the Ksp expression for the solid AB2 in terms of the molar solubility x. waving then I realized they Werent shooting at him only at the never happened,we lost two sweep team members and some Rarely do we examine war through the unique bond between a man and his weaponin this case the M60 machine gun. Some Brothers said why spend another year in this hellhole???? I also earned a Combat Infantryman Badge, signifying that I had been actively engaged in combat. 1: physical position (in the field / column) Walked point way to many times but never had contact.

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