2) by my research, medics suffered 93% casualties with about 33% deaths. Non-divisional aeromedical evacuation units went by the callsign DUSTOFF. Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division. waving then I realized they Werent shooting at him only at the I was told to show the new guy how to use it properly. As I made my way to the river, I saw a VC guerrilla jump into the water on the other side. According to the American War Library, as of February 28, 2019, it is estimated that approximately 610,000 Americans who served in land forces during the Vietnam War or in air missions over Vietnam between 1954 and 1975 are still alive to this day. A much better approach would be/have been: of all the combat-casualties, what was their Welcome home brothers and sisters. As mentioned, who kept track of that in the first place? We were all in our Bunkers, and at the ready with our weapons. Papitto Opportunity Connections Mission: The Papitto Opportunity Connection (POC) is a private foundation dedicated to listening and working together with Rhode Islands BIPOC communities to empower and create individual success stories by investing in education, job skills training, and entrepreneurial ventures. 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). You were a Great RTO. Im laying behind a rice paddie dike.I put my whole body as far down in the muck while the bullets were over my head. Your Dad and I had the same job. 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. 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 gun was also mounted in the UH-1 Huey helicopter and other Army aircraft. 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. News media have reported tha an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc.Those are incorrect. I traveled to Fort Lewis, Washington, and trained there for 10 months before deploying to Vietnam as specialist 4. Your article was quite interesting. The Department of Defense Vietnam War Service Index officially provided by The War Library originally reported with errors that 2,709,918 U.S. military personnel as having served in-country. I carried the PRC-25 for most of a year. Jimmy aaja, jimmy aaja. I know the scouts in my company had a slightly longer rate but not much. 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. The Australian Vietnam veteran study assessed the postservice mortality of 19 205 Vietnam veterans and 25 677 non-Vietnam veterans through 1981. 99% of infantry men will currently live to die of natural causes. Bruce Grandstaff and my best friend, Sgt. To an, open area. Combatants on both sides faced physical challenges posed by the climate, terrain and wildlife of the country. I was never formally trained as an RTO. They were well-armed, well-trained and knew how to fight. well I wonder how long your going to last lieutenant? (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. They were glad to see me as it had been a while for replacements with the unit. We were like sitting Ducks. The 4th Platoon survivors stayed put for the night. An interesting essay, even more interesting are the comments. Out of thousands of men that invaded that town in southern Afghanistan, we have lost 19. (many of the Soviet casualties were POWs, though). sweep team,then I heard the choppers and they were blowing the hell out in the tree line then it just got so quiet like nothing 2023 CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website, RTO, John Scheur. . Roger Loves you too, Im sure. The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. The Statistics in the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF 11/93) show an average age of death much higher than that of news reports. Our battalion operated at a base camp near Tuy Hoa in Phu Yen province along the South China Sea from October 1966 to January 1967. I was in 2nd Platoon and carried the platoons No. To my surprise, I qualified as an expert with the M60 machine gun, nicknamed the pig because of the size, weight and sound of the weapon. 1 Gun and I survived our first firefight. I remember hearing somewhere about an RTO who wasnt getting the info out correctly and the Lieutenant (Kennedy) grabbed the mic and said My RTO Is Foxtrot Uniform. They were Kims cousins not her brothers. 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. And I know what youre going to say, Because the American cs! Bullcrap!!!! Comments were more interesting than the article it self. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture, was Vietnamese. Be glad you served with a soldiers soldier like LTC Herbert. Dont know why, but generally, their aircraft were not armed (door gunners, etc.). "And in seizing the firm land at the . Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation. (LogOut/ 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 am 16 years old an 150 pounds qith some good muscle. Point, slack and compass. Wow I was 31.8 Gun shot Carried model 1200 Winchester shot gun WIA May 68 Article was great. Every mission, I had the same thought. The two platoons were to advance no more than 200 yards from the main body of the company. I know this is a standard cliche, but it is so true, All gave some. 10 1/2 months in the bush. Sometimes on Family Guy when there about to take someones heart out they say, calimar or maybe its spelled different. Point was the safest place to be,they knew to wait for key elements, RTO, Medica, M60 Gunners. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. It didnt matter who you were or where you were. This Battle changed his life and his future, had it not been for his actions, every man on this FSB Gold would have died. Or is it on display in a Hanoi museum so curious citizens of that city can inspect a weapon captured from American imperialists? All that other stuff about seconds and minutes were story tellers, embellishing things to impress some listeners back home. https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. As a point of reference, Patterson explained that combat troops in World War II, on average, spent 36 days in a combat environment; the average infantryman in Vietnam spent 245 days in constant. Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. In that time 4 us kia and 4 wounded. The Organization of the Viet Cong Units in the South never recovered. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the VietnamWar? Bob Sanzone. 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). A former expert with the M60 machine gun shares his experiences wielding the fearsome weapon in Vietnam. 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. When Roeski got hit, I took over the M-60. I met a Marine a few years ago who was stationed North of Da Nang. 87% of Americans hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. The jungle seemed to want No. Id love to see the casualties listed by Corps ? I pumped 200 rounds into that riverbank. What the hell did you hit him with? one of our men shouted. John Doever 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. 1 Gun and I now faced a new and more formidable foethe North Vietnamese Army. I always felt that Infantry units were in more danger because of ambush issues and no permanent defensive structures. 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! Never knew they had life expectancy stats. The fact that PDoggbiker cant find any decent calculation/explanation, tells us a lot. 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? (LogOut/ The peace settlement was signed in Paris on 27 January 1973. 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. His best friend is 86 and still alive. I personally believe and agree with previous posts that when its your time, not much you can do. I was also told that the Radio did put a target on my back. Before he was drafted Renza had worked as a hairdresser for women in his hometown of Peekskill, New York. U.S. Wings is a manufacturer and a supplier. We were expecting, an attack. Tony told me that either he or I would greet all incoming troops and we did- and here is the speech we gave to them. As soon as he did, a round hit him in the forehead, blowing out the back of his skull. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? (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. Hack volunteered for service in Vietnam in 1968, joining the 1st Infantry Division. Thats why they called us GRUNTS ! In 1973, Renza opened his own salon in Peekskill. I couldnt see DeLong and didnt know if No. 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. I was an Artillery Forward Observer 13F20 E-5 at that time. Ive always considered myself damn lucky to make it out alive. 74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome. He was killed in an ambush along with three others. So do us all a favor and please learn to be tolerant, intelligent, and active. Address: 561 E Hines Hill Road Hudson, Ohio 44236 Phone: 1-800-650-0659 / 330-655-5050 Fax: 330-653-3750 Email: [emailprotected], Retail Store Hours: Monday-Friday: 9am - 5pm EST Saturdays: 10am -3pm (Oct-Jan) Sundays: Closed. Your email address will not be published. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE VIETNAM VETS ARE NOT. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. I want to know what the life expectancy of a us infantry army soldier is. In Vietnam he cut the hair of everyone in his company for free. If youre American (which you probably are), I could give a f***. We gathered the casualties and set out for Company A. Of the . What percentage of Vietnam veterans actually saw combat? I kept the radio because I understood the power of having the first communication with the support mechanisms of the military. No. We had 5 kias and roughly 50 wounded in our company so about one in three got hit. Naturally I was excited at the opportunity to join Sanzone, but at the same time I hated leaving 2nd Platoons No. Joe DeLong joined the company, and Sholly informed me that he would be the M60 gunner. He said when they were ambushed they took defensive positions, returned fire, called for assistance when needed, and retreated when necessary. 2 Gun to Ranallo. Lt lost a finger, same time. (LogOut/ May they rest in peace. Were talking averages, obviously so, an RTO, with an expectancy of 5 seconds (!) An infantry platoon commander in combat had an average of 6 weeks life expectancy. Was No. Then one hot, sunny day, while walking across rice paddies, we suddenly received small-arms fire from Viet Cong in some distant hills. Company B had seven dead, Grandstaff announced, and I was to take No. we were getting it with machine gun and mortars. I couldnt disagree. endstream endobj startxref I knew some of this, but certainly not all. In total, the United States military lost in Vietnam almost 10,000 aircraft, helicopters and UAVs (3,744 planes, 5,607 helicopters and 578 UAVs). For example, life expectancy of male and female Veterans with household incomes less than $20,000, at respectively. Express your answer in terms of x. Fighters and planes dont make up the Army, thats the Air Force. 1ST MAW 66-68. Sergeant Galiano's experience does not deny Brands depiction of the battle in Vietnam, but offers a typically overlooked perspective of a drafted soldier fighting in the central highlands of Vietnam. I was an O5C-20 in Vietnam. I watched in horror as four NVA soldiers ambled through the branches of a downed tree that partially concealed us. It was a daily challenge to know who your real enemy was. year old Marine thinking this is my last day on earth. Some Brothers said why spend another year in this hellhole???? Suddenly I realized that my platoon sergeant was screaming at me to stop firing. If it had been up to me, I would have awarded my gun the CIB too. The rolling fire burned everything to the ground and undoubtedly killed scores of NVA. If my memory is correct, only the 1st Cab flew wiith doorgunners. The Davis Station in Saigon was named for him. Vietnam War the helicopters that came in to transport soldiers were the hardest hit with mass casualties . It was more or less next man up . Here are statistics from the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF) as of November 1993. 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. It was the silent power of the pig, I suppose. I was a REMF but Ive heard of 05Cs that were stuck out in the boonies on a firebase. 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. There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and non-Vietnam Veterans of the same age group (Source: Veterans Administration Study). 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. ), special forces, combat support, engineering, medics, and vehicle assault weapons. Stop staring at your computer already, get up. Assigned to HHC 1/77 Armor, 1st, BDE 5th Inf. I personally carried 300 rounds of ammo at all times, one belt in the gun and two across my chest. From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. 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. From a military standpoint, it was almost an unprecedented performance. Can I use this word like this: The addressal by the C.E.O. by Zita Ballinger Fletcher 1/18/2022. Not long after the artillery barrage ended, the North Vietnamese swept through 4th Platoon and executed some of the survivors. 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