life expectancy of an infantry soldier in vietnam

The incredibly important role in the U.S. Army is responsible for defending the country through real-life combat. 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 82nd 2/505th. I was already lugging around a 24-pound weapon, 300 rounds of ammo and a pack that weighed a good 45 pounds. I was wasting ammo and didnt even have a target! 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. The average age of the 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. It means, IF (!) Welcome Home Roger. That same day, I along with 3/4 others was transported to Long Bhin Post. The two platoons were to advance no more than 200 yards from the main body of the company. Point, slack and compass. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. I was drafted on Nov. 10, 1965, and assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. It was reported as an overwhelming success for the Communist forces and a decided defeat for the U.S. forces. The average life expectancy of a Soviet soldier during the height of the battle was just 24 hours. I was a point man, M60 Gunner and squad leader. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. It was a chaotic nightmare. 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? . I kept the radio because I understood the power of having the first communication with the support mechanisms of the military. 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. of what was usually 5 or 6 going in and many times the leads would find traps, punji pits or the VC waiting. If my memory is correct, only the 1st Cab flew wiith doorgunners. Fighters and planes dont make up the Army, thats the Air Force. 2 Gun to Ranallo. My second tour was as the S3 for LTC Anthony Herbertone of Americas greatest leaders and WARRIORS OF ALL TIME. 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. Thank You General Vessey for the almost 53 years I have lived since that day. 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. wias. 2 Gun team, Ranallo and May, without any support. No. As a Huey door gunner, when we left the ground on a mission, I always thought that this mission would be my last! Company B had seven dead, Grandstaff announced, and I was to take No. The earliest casualty record contains a date of death of . I met a Marine a few years ago who was stationed North of Da Nang. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation. As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. A typical Patrol Boat River (PBR) was about 31 feet long and had twin 50s forward an M 60 midships and a 50 aft. We had run patrols for about a month when I first saw action. A much better approach would be/have been: of all the combat-casualties, what was their John Doever You just do the best job you can and if you got hit, so be it! Some of my men didnt. Many were killed or wounded ! I was a medic on one for two yrs and the only weapon I was issue was a six-shot .38. Supported by a shoulder strap, No. As soon as he did, a round hit him in the forehead, blowing out the back of his skull. I couldnt disagree. Certainly got my attention. For example, life expectancy of male and female Veterans with household incomes less than $20,000, at respectively. Contents1 [] Change). The Statistics in the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF 11/93) show an average age of death much higher than that of news reports. I got shot on a mission with 45 days left. This is not Vietnam where a machine gunner's life expectancy was short because you had an entire army shooting at them. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. Seattle, Washington(WA), 98106. I was an Infantry Scout Dog handler. I had been shot in the back early in the battle and was lying behind a log with two other soldiers. Out of thousands of men that invaded that town in southern Afghanistan, we have lost 19. 1st Cav, 101st, etc. Hats off to them. They were great patriots fighting for their families and their homeland. Fact: No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. 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 were like sitting Ducks. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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. RIP KOOKIE forever young, Thank god you are still alive, I am age 77. I am 16 years old an 150 pounds qith some good muscle. The CACF is the basis for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall): Average age of 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years. 4322 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<4E412331B845E54EBDFDC79FA0627A18>]/Index[4314 16]/Info 4313 0 R/Length 65/Prev 560501/Root 4315 0 R/Size 4330/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream 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. From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. Now, to calmly answer your question, air strikes have actually been an efficient technique used by us for years now. Some 23% of Vietnam vets had fathers with professional, managerial 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. The NVA had wedged a blocking force between our company and Company A, preventing us from advancing any farther. Welcome Home Brothers ! Eventually I found a spot where the bed leveled off and began firing on the NVA. 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). One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. 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. Thanks for posting! 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. AS LEADERS IN AMERICAS SERVICES WE MUST BE PROFICIENT AND READY TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSIONS- From the Landing Zone, we were carried not too far. I worried about that kind of leadership style in the highlands. where can i find red bird vienna sausage? The key may be the word initial since we became more savvy with successive combats and had improved survivability. 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 personally believe and agree with previous posts that when its your time, not much you can do. I packed my own radio and got a Thank you from his Mom. (tirotactico.net). 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. The TOTAL number of CIB and CMB awarded would give you the answer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But it was my jobso I tried not to think about it much. More importantly, Grandstaff was very gung-ho. I was told to show the new guy how to use it properly. Life expectancy at birth. The last American troops departed in their entirety 29 March 1973. I personally carried 300 rounds of ammo at all times, one belt in the gun and two across my chest. ), special forces, combat support, engineering, medics, and vehicle assault weapons. It was an honor indeed to serve with some of the finest soldiers I have ever met. Still, militarily, the Tet Offensive was a total defeat of the Communist forces on all fronts. I never even got a shot off. Was No. The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1961. 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. Found NVA bunker complex. How old are Vietnam vets now? to the empployees was very informative. 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 . However, Shermans were very outmatched by the German tanks on the field of battle. I was an Artillery Forward Observer 13F20 E-5 at that time. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phucs brothers were killed in this incident. Just to show that its hard to get an accurate number, note my typo of 56,220. US Wings is a veteran-owned business and an official supplier to the US Military. We then took all Trucks and equipment to the Port Of Saigon. We observed the rules of the Geneva Convention while the bad guys had no interest in doing so. But I made it back in one piece. At this time- senior Army leadership ordered us all to read the Geneva Convention to our troops because of the My Lai debachle.