I, in turn, would take an M16 rifle, which felt like a feather in comparison. 4 Charlie Ranallo, were on No. Be glad you served with a soldiers soldier like LTC Herbert. (many of the Soviet casualties were POWs, though). In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans group. As mentioned, who kept track of that in the first place? Carrying a dead man some 300 yards through thick jungle in 100-degree heat was extraordinarily difficult. 1 Gun and I survived our first firefight. 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.) Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. 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 Ambushed on October 4th,1967. Nixon Presidential Papers. We walked the mountains and rice patties all thru Tu Thien Province. On the morning of March 22, 1967, companies A and B of my battalion began a search-and-destroy operation along the Cambodian border. They also struggled with logistical problems and the complex political situation in Vietnam. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). Much smaller income differentials in life expectancy, 0.2 to 3.6 life-years smaller for Veterans in 2010-17 are estimated. 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. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. to the empployees was very informative. That was a hell of a responsibility to take on. Sept 69 to Sept 70. I had been shot in the back early in the battle and was lying behind a log with two other soldiers. 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? Appx: 6 months in, all of the 543d TC joined forces with the 572d TC. I couldnt see DeLong and didnt know if No. The 4th Platoon survivors stayed put for the night. Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. 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). 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. So I guess i lasted longer than I was supposed to. Tumbling end over end, the canisters exploded in a white-hot fireball. The Statistics in the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF 11/93) show an average age of death much higher than that of news reports. It was an honor indeed to serve with some of the finest soldiers I have ever met. Contents 1 Unclear objectives 2 North Vietnamese strategy It means, IF (!) Some very close calls but I am alive at age 74. They were all up there scanning the terrain and looking for signs. It called for release of all U.S. prisoners, withdrawal of U.S. forces, limitation of both sides forces inside South Vietnam and a commitment to peaceful reunification. See you in the next life!!!!! both tours. Around 3 p.m., when Grandstaff realized we were about to be overrun, he called in artillery right on top of our location.
Army Infantryman (MOS 11B): 2022 Career Profile - Operation Military Kids Vietnam War Facts, Stats and Myths - US Wings of what was usually 5 or 6 going in and many times the leads would find traps, punji pits or the VC waiting. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam?
'No. 1 Gun': An M60 Machine Gunner in Vietnam Tells His Story - HistoryNet Your Dad and I had the same job. Rarely do we examine war through the unique bond between a man and his weaponin this case the M60 machine gun. You just do the best job you can and if you got hit, so be it! 5 seconds. The 140,000 evacuees in April 1975 during the fall of Saigon consisted almost entirely of civilians and Vietnamese military, NOT American military running for their lives. by Zita Ballinger Fletcher 1/18/2022. The man listed as missing was machine gunner Joe DeLong, captured along with No. AS LEADERS IN AMERICAS SERVICES WE MUST BE PROFICIENT AND READY TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSIONS- 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. My dog and I walked point my whole tour in Vietnam. If my memory is correct, only the 1st Cab flew wiith doorgunners. Interesting, I carried a Prick 25, for 2 months. 11 c mos , meaning I was also cross trained for mortars . 4322 0 obj
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Vietnam War soldiers The trailer for that video can be seen by googling the title, and it might still be sold on Amazon. Diaphragm _____ 3. Seattle, Washington(WA), 98106. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the Vietnam War? They used the callsign MEDIVAC and were armed. PLEASE HELP!!! If the NVA shot at the group retrieving the bodies, I was to fire over the heads of the grunts and engage the enemy. The Regiment traces its lineage back to World War II. Despite initial victories by the Communists forces, the Tet Offensive resulted in a major defeat of those forces. Thats why I never understand people talking about survivors guilt it should have been me, why him? etc. Sholly injured an ankle, and 1st Lt. Cary Allen took command of Company B. David H. McNerney, who assumed command of the company when all of its officers were killed or wounded, was presented with the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony in September 1968. No. I was also told that the Radio did put a target on my back. I got shot on a mission with 45 days left. He served as a sergeant with the Big Red One in Lai Khe, Vietnam. LUCK pure LUCK. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Screaming Eagles! then youd carry an extra 200 rounds of M60 ammo for the machine gunner , plus drag grenades , one smoke grenade plus etc. We all gotta die sometime, Red. SSgt Barnes, Platoon, its nothing to really concern yourself with, on a long enough time line everyones survival rate is 0%. As some said, averages are meaningless. I personally believe and agree with previous posts that when its your time, not much you can do. So I guess I defied the odds. At age 55, World War 2 Veterans His comparison to a FB was that if we were fired on we returned fire and requested assistance when needed. 1 Gun. I had an assistant gunner, Spc. well I wonder how long your going to last lieutenant? There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and non-Vietnam Veterans of the same age group (Source: Veterans Administration Study). Fact: No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. Their personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. 1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August, 1995 (census figures). The Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File of the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) Extract Files contains records of 58,220 U.S. military fatal casualties of the Vietnam War. (LogOut/ From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. Thanks for posting! 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.. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? I never saw any correlation as to what MOS a soldier was and their survival rate. Hack volunteered for service in Vietnam in 1968, joining the 1st Infantry Division. I was to have that experience two more times before it was over. I flew Dustoff and our unit did not have M60s for protection, nor did any other Dustoff unit that Im aware of. As I made it back to the road I remember seeing the Soldier,this is a wardont forget that, and anytime we are in a fight we will be toughest SOBs in the fight!! I think those numbers are percentages of US KIA, not mortality times. Welcome home brothers and sisters. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. Enemy fire greeted as us as soon as we landed near the village. I carried the PRC-25 Radio most of that time. I remember we were always short of replacements throughout 1968 because of the high Kia & wounded rate we suffered at that time ! Three-fourths had family incomes above the poverty level; 50% were from middle income backgrounds. Over 600 Navy FMF Hospital Corpsmen were killed in Vietnam. Then one hot, sunny day, while walking across rice paddies, we suddenly received small-arms fire from Viet Cong in some distant hills. Point was the safest place to be,they knew to wait for key elements, RTO, Medica, M60 Gunners. When I popped back up to put out some automatic fire, a bullet whizzed by my earno more than an inch from my headand slammed into the tree next to me, shattering the bark. Ever since that fateful day in 1967, I have often wondered what became of my beloved M60. Thats what I figured but didnt know for sure. And dug Berms, in the area. Two of my closest friends in the company, Spc. A soldier or Marine in Vietnam had a 98% chance of survival if he was evacuated within the first hour of being injured the best odds in the history of American warfare up to that time. 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. No. Well, according to current mortality and morbidity statistics for the USright around 77.5 Years! Required fields are marked *. My heart was pounding out of my chest. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. We observed the rules of the Geneva Convention while the bad guys had no interest in doing so. B)Enter the the Ksp expression forC2D3 in terms of the molar solubility x. Jimmy aaja -M.I.A. The key may be the word initial since we became more savvy with successive combats and had improved survivability. I traveled to Fort Lewis, Washington, and trained there for 10 months before deploying to Vietnam as specialist 4. We were very, lucky. 1 Gun and I now faced a new and more formidable foethe North Vietnamese Army. 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. He pulled the company into a perimeter and dispatched 4th Platoon to recon the trail to the west, while 1st Platoon performed a similar mission to the east-southeast. 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 All that other stuff about seconds and minutes were story tellers, embellishing things to impress some listeners back home. The body felt as though it weighed considerably more than it looked. 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. We were probably not too far away on that day. 4329 0 obj
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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. They were lazy, cowardly and of questionable loyalty, especially the RUFF/PUFFS, and they would steal your under ware if given half a chance. I was an Infantry Scout Dog handler. maybe your question i vauge. Some gave all. Forget the statistics, we all had a job to do, we went where we were told. Joe DeLong joined the company, and Sholly informed me that he would be the M60 gunner. The peace settlement was signed in Paris on 27 January 1973. We then took all Trucks and equipment to the Port Of Saigon. 74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers. We did interdictions, blocks and other fun things on the river. If it was 1941 and you were an average Soviet soldier, your life expectancy on the front line was days, not weeks, thanks to the ongoing german offence. Dont know why, but generally, their aircraft were not armed (door gunners, etc.). Now we know. Express your answer in terms of x. Welcome home!! Needless too say I depended on Sgt. As we approached the battle, we heard intense firing. Company B arrived in-country with four rifle platoons, and each platoon was armed with two M60s. 6 Answers They say Kali Ma Theyre referencing this scene from the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: What is the life expectancy of an army infantry soldier? Eventually I found a spot where the bed leveled off and began firing on the NVA. I did worry about the strength of my flax vest. RIP KOOKIE forever young, Thank god you are still alive, I am age 77. As a Huey door gunner, when we left the ground on a mission, I always thought that this mission would be my last! 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.