Although the percent that died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. We ambushed and got ambushed, firebase got attacked who carried what or did what had no bearing. But it was my jobso I tried not to think about it much. Please do not send samples. HOOAH!!! I, in turn, would take an M16 rifle, which felt like a feather in comparison. We all have opinions, this is mine. At Fort Lewis, every recruit learned to operate various weapons. Point was the safest place to be,they knew to wait for key elements, RTO, Medica, M60 Gunners. They were Kims cousins not her brothers. This is not Vietnam where a machine gunner's life expectancy was short because you had an entire army shooting at them. The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. Not to mention that right now its safer than some cities in the us. I too never understood survivor quilt, Enjoyed your article. Knowing I had a 100-round belt in my M60, I opened up on that hillside, my gun getting so hot that the barrel smoked. 15 May he was killed by friendly fire, and a host of us were WIA, myself included. I do remember when I got short I thought about it a lot more. We did interdictions, blocks and other fun things on the river. They were well-armed, well-trained and knew how to fight. It doesnt make any sense statistically/mathematically it is impossible. I was with HHC and 1st Platoon C Company in 70-71. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the VietnamWar? February 5 th, 1967, Galiano was headed to Saigon, Vietnam with 90 fellow Americans on an Air Force c-131, but orders were quickly altered . Suddenly I realized that my platoon sergeant was screaming at me to stop firing. What was the life expectancy of a point man in Vietnam? In Vietnam 70% 0f the casualties were Infantry BUT it might be 70% of ALL the Infantry that served in Vietnam. The incredibly important role in the U.S. Army is responsible for defending the country through real-life combat. More importantly, Grandstaff was very gung-ho. As mentioned, who kept track of that in the first place? I pumped 200 rounds into that riverbank. After that initial post-service period, Vietnam veterans were no more likely to die from suicide than non-Vietnam veterans. There were also wounded. Some very close calls but I am alive at age 74. See my calculation below in the comments bogus indeed. EACH OF US CARRIES OUR OWN MEMORIES AND THEY RUN THE GAMUT. (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. hmK#1+yNvA !We dont abuse prisoners Now, if he reaches for his weapon to continue the fight BLOW HIS ASS AWAY THIS AINT SUNDAY SCHOOL!!! 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). Learned a lot from him. The average age of the 58,148 US Servicemembers killed in Vietnam was . happened. Great reading. 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 May they rest in peace. 4 Paul Domke, who carried extra belts of ammo and fed them into the gun. I wasnt aware that they kept life expectancy statistics. 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. (LogOut/ One was holding a carbine. Once we turned on the radar they could hit us with a harm missile. RIght there and the NVA we were usually up against knew this. We gathered the casualties and set out for Company A. Still, militarily, the Tet Offensive was a total defeat of the Communist forces on all fronts. In our spare time we did medevacs and medcaps for the local communities and when required inserted SEALs . After every officer in our company was either killed or had serious wounds, our 1st Sgt , David McNerney took over the company and without his leadership, and knowledge of war, and unbelievable courage, our company would probably have been wiped out. 4 Joey Piambino were to my right in the streambed. I was to have that experience two more times before it was over. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? E)V_5lu[vC3+"vg2L& We had run patrols for about a month when I first saw action. They were great patriots fighting for their families and their homeland. we were getting it with machine gun and mortars. Answer (1 of 12): It heavily depends. Thats 390 per day. For example: 7*x^2. Information presented by SFC (Ret) David Hack. well i have been army infantry for 12 years with 2 deployments, and still going strong. I never even got a shot off. Enemy fire greeted as us as soon as we landed near the village. We were discussing the different units and dangers of each. I spent my year in Vietnam with the 1/22nd infantry part of the 4th division. 3 Answers C5H5N in water > C5H5NH+ & OH- Kb = [C5H5NH+] [OH-] / [C5H5N] 1.5e-9 = [x] 1. 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. We were in2dBn 503d . Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. It was reported as an overwhelming success for the Communist forces and a decided defeat for the U.S. forces. Point, slack and compass. The CDC Vietnam Experience Study Mortality Assessment showed that during the first 5 years after discharge, deaths from suicide were 1.7 times more likely among Vietnam veterans than non-Vietnam veterans. Everyone in the company hit the dirt. Be glad you served with a soldiers soldier like LTC Herbert. No. Phi Pow B.Sc (econ) in Economic History & Economics (college minor), London School of Economics and Political Science Author has 212 answers and 234.6K answer views 2 y Originally Answered: What soldier had the shortest life expectancy? Date: March 8, 2020 Author: pdoggbiker 97 Comments Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. See you in the next life!!!!! The body felt as though it weighed considerably more than it looked. Good article. Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. 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. The Vietnam War was the first American war in which Black and White troops were not formally segregated, and even saw significant growth in the number of African Americans engaged in battlefield combat, [1] though some de facto segregation still occurred. If the NVA shot at the group retrieving the bodies, I was to fire over the heads of the grunts and engage the enemy. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_losses_of Staying alive was kinda of important. hb```8fB cBLd2>Tb jz1@E; aK6Tmc.Nn"&gn7hj'wm,h d6p4u0`&88:,TMV& y@ b=e>a&^ >{2b`ZHE3psn QZ My 31-months in-country was in three Direct Support US Army aviation units, 15TC BN, First Cav, 335TH, Americal and 17TH Cav 101ST ABD65-71In the last battle I was directly involved, LAM SON 719, into Laos, cost army aviation units over 600-helicopters shot down or battle damagedthe NVA were waiting for our SECRET mission in early 71I was glad to go home at battles end, in March 71 , almost unscathed, I was TDY for my absurd third tourTo the point, many ARVN Rangers, airborne and their other best died in Lam Son 719US Army Infantry were forbidden entry to Laos in 71.. the ARVN were massacredand many US Army pilots and crew mambers were KIA & WIAeven MIA. 2 Gun team, Ranallo and May, without any support. Sure, its softer than it was before, but the training they go through is intense, something a loser who spends his time on the computer all day attacking people he doesnt know anything about and all the facts CANNOT do. 1 Gun onto a small hill and provide security while others retrieved them. But, once the enemy lays down his weapon, I want YOU TO REMEMBER THREE THINGS: 1, HE IS A SOLDIER, JUST LIKE YOU.2, HE IS AWAY FROM HOME And family, just like you. 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. After about 30 minutes, the four enemy soldiers got up and left the area. I put the M60s bipod legs down, lifted the weapon and positioned it on the ground outside the streambed facing the NVA. 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. Was I lucky ? 1st Cav, 101st, etc. Was it left behind on some forgotten battlefield? Ron. Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. Wow I was 31.8 Gun shot Carried model 1200 Winchester shot gun WIA May 68 Article was great. Here are statistics from the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF) as of November 1993. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. Mech. Different strokes for different folks in war fer sure. Was a door gunner and crew chief for just shy of 18 months (I extended to get out early). Either way, thats a lot of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen, male and female that made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and there are still people dying as a result of their wounds receiver so very long ago in a place called Vietnam. Well he didnt make it. Welcome Home Roger. This makes our site more accessible to the blind, visually impaired, motor disabled, people with cognitive disabilities and more. Both my tours were in the Delta (IV Corps) where the only ground troops were regular ARVNs and RUFF/PUFFS. Me, a vehicle mechanic with Btry E, 41st Arty Quads 1970. It had a crew of 4 (forward gunner, the coxswain (steering and driving) and the two aft gunners. To my right, Piambino had poked his head out of the trench to fire his M16 rifle. I was told to help carry one of the bodies. An Rtos job was essential, tough,(Carrying the extra weight of the radio transmitter along with his rucksack), and dangerous. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. The two platoons were to advance no more than 200 yards from the main body of the company. 1 Gun used to kill Americans? "The Cotton Balers, damn fine Soldiers." The Battalion returned to Fort Benning on October 11, 1970 and was inactivated. wias. Thanks for the perceived loss and the countless assassinations and torture visited upon Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians goes mainly to the American media and their undying support-by-misrepresentation of the anti-War movement in the United States. The blasts from the AMMO, really lit up the whole area. Two rounds smashed into a log inches above my head. 2) by my research, medics suffered 93% casualties with about 33% deaths. Our home base was Quang Tri fire Base, But I spent about 6 months out at Mai Loc with the rig. Shea's gallantry in action at the cost of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon . PLEASE HELP!!! My assistant gunner and my ammo bearer also carried 300 rounds each. Rarely do we examine war through the unique bond between a man and his weaponin this case the . I DISAGREETHE ENEMY WOULD SHOOT THE GUY NEXT TO THE RTO-KNOWING HE WAS THE COMMANDER. I couldnt see DeLong and didnt know if No. This makes calculations of those alive, even in 2017, difficult to maintain. We walked the mountains and rice patties all thru Tu Thien Province. Nobody attacked, where we were. Proudly holding my M60 over my head, I screamed at the top of my lungs, No. (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. Assigned to HHC 1/77 Armor, 1st, BDE 5th Inf. Then he said youre on a FB, the enemy always knows your location, can pretty much attack at will, and you really dont have the capability to retreat. US Wings is a veteran-owned business and an official supplier to the US Military. I was sitting on the ground one day trying to dry out my gear and better configure my ruck when my squad leader came walking over to me and said, Gow, youve got the radio. As he turned and walked away! I had scary thoughts about myself humping the bush as a RTO, I was a real puny guy back then. We were like sitting Ducks. Just to show that its hard to get an accurate number, note my typo of 56,220. I agree with all of the comments, however I would add Tunnel Rats to the group I was one and saw many of my friends die in those tunnels I was very fortunate or very lucky and was never a lead but was at the tail end. Surrounded by an enemy battalion, our hopelessly outnumbered platoon waged a desperate battle for survival. 1 Gun was firing. Together we had passed the test. When I was assigned to the M60 in advanced individual training, I decided that if I had to be a gunner I would learn everything there was to know about the weapon. then youd carry an extra 200 rounds of M60 ammo for the machine gunner , plus drag grenades , one smoke grenade plus etc. Carried the prc25 for about 7 months. 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. Fact: The domino theory was accurate. Sociologists Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, in their recently published book All That We Can Be, said they analyzed the claim that blacks were used like cannon fodder during Vietnam and can report definitely that this charge is untrue. 4329 0 obj <>stream Thats why I never understand people talking about survivors guilt it should have been me, why him? etc. I watched in horror as four NVA soldiers ambled through the branches of a downed tree that partially concealed us. Roger Loves you too, Im sure. When Roeski got hit, I took over the M-60. How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? We were very, lucky. Needless too say I depended on Sgt. The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9. a RTO got killed, it happened within 5 seconds but not that always ALL RTOs got killed. As it was, less than 40 did not need evacuation. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. I carried the proc 26 radio after I was asked by my field 1st ( E 7 ) if I would for my platoon . I sure feel for all you guys that went outside the wire. Change). Correct. I was an Artillery Forward Observer 13F20 E-5 at that time. Soldiers from 2nd Platoon, Company C, 87th Infantry Regiment, walk on patrol north of the Long . I got shot on a mission with 45 days left. 1 Gun over my shoulder, grabbed a corner of a poncho and stumbled off with three other soldiers. I carried the PRC-25 for most of a year. Really no mention of the regular rifleman. I was told my life expectancy was about 45 secs during a fire fight because of the weapons and demo I carried. 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. DeLong was later killed attempting to escape from a North Vietnamese prisoner of war camp in Cambodia. Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division. 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. Saw from mostly safe distance almost all the weapons systems that where there used.

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