life expectancy of an infantry soldier in vietnam

We were like sitting Ducks. Their personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. 74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome. 2 Gun.. I personally carried 300 rounds of ammo at all times, one belt in the gun and two across my chest. My second tour was as the S3 for LTC Anthony Herbertone of Americas greatest leaders and WARRIORS OF ALL TIME. His comparison to a FB was that if we were fired on we returned fire and requested assistance when needed. I was already lugging around a 24-pound weapon, 300 rounds of ammo and a pack that weighed a good 45 pounds. Ambushed on October 4th,1967. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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). Lowering my gun, I turned around and noticed two VC sitting in the doorway of the hut, staring at me. We killed a lot of the enemy but we took few serious casualties. Five RTOs. Thats 390 per day. 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. Es ridculo que t ______ (tener) un resfriado en verano. Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. It doesnt make any sense statistically/mathematically it is impossible. Thats what I figured but didnt know for sure. That was a hell of a responsibility to take on. DeLong had only fired the weapon once in training, so I let him fire off a few rounds to practice. We soon learned that the NVA troops were very different from the local guerrillas we had fought around Tuy Hoa. During that same Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served was: 9,492,958. then youd carry an extra 200 rounds of M60 ammo for the machine gunner , plus drag grenades , one smoke grenade plus etc. Welcome home. It resulted in the death of some 45,000 NVA troops and the complete, if not total destruction of the Viet Cong elements in South Vietnam. In Vietnam, 1 in 400 of the wounded died of their . I was an O5C-20 in Vietnam. They were held in special regard after the Normandy landings, when 225 Rangers scaled cliffs at Pointe Du Hoc on June 6, 1944 under intense enemy fire. Posterior Thigh _____ 4. "The Rangers pulled themselves over the top," President Ronald Reagan said of the men, in 1984. Like you, I carried a PRC-25 for about 5 months and never got hit. Umm..maybe its because we also learn from experience. If my memory is correct, only the 1st Cab flew wiith doorgunners. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers. In that time 4 us kia and 4 wounded. I was drafted on Nov. 10, 1965, and assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. 79% had a high school education or better. The U.S. Infantryman Vietnam Pocket Manual contains gems such as infantry "patrol tips," maneuver techniques, and fighting methods for various environments. As with much of the Vietnam War, the news media misreported and misinterpreted the 1968 Tet Offensive. Id love to see the casualties listed by Corps ? After a quick lesson, DeLong became the new owner of 4th Platoons No.1 Gun. 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served. 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. 10-4. The death squads focused on leaders at the village level and on anyone who improved the lives of the peasants such as medical personnel, social workers, and school teachers. Re: Helicopter Crews (Medevac & Dustoff): To my knowledge, only the 1st Cav Medevac had M60s for protection. Fact: Servicemen who went to Vietnam from well-to-do areas had a slightly elevated risk of dying because they were more likely to be pilots or infantry officers. However, Shermans were very outmatched by the German tanks on the field of battle. 1st Cav, 101st, etc. How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? The first thing my platoon sgt. Calculate the pH of a solution of 0.157 M pyridine. The other group of aeromedical evacuation were divisional, i.e. meaning what is the chance of me getting killed in combat. (and yes, you cant ask them, so it would have to be derived from the AA-reports and survivors). Some of my men didnt. The Australian Vietnam veteran study assessed the postservice mortality of 19 205 Vietnam veterans and 25 677 non-Vietnam veterans through 1981. I was still pondering the move to 4th Platoon when U.S. Air Force jets screamed over the treetops with canisters of napalm. 67-67 11B 4th Id. In Vietnam he cut the hair of everyone in his company for free. The early days of May 1970, I arrived at the Airport, next to Saigon. Every mission, I had the same thought. Change). Bob Sanzone. I got shot on a mission with 45 days left. Contents1 [] At that time, an infantry company consisted of about 150 men. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand stayed free of Communism because of the U.S. commitment to Vietnam. Startled, I quickly pointed my M60 at them. We were about 700 yards east of Company A when it was ambushed by an NVA battalion. I flew Dustoff and our unit did not have M60s for protection, nor did any other Dustoff unit that Im aware of. Life Expectancy by Country and in the World (2023) - Worldometer It may not have worked for some other wars, but they were pretty helpful. 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. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in battle on - Quora No. https://www.historynet.com/no-1-gun-an-m60-machine-gunner-in-vietnam-tells-his-story/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, When 21 Sikh Soldiers Fought the Odds Against 10,000 Pashtun Warriors, Few Red Tails Remain: Tuskegee Airman Dies at 96. 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. MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. They were also in a circular formation. THANKS! Together we had passed the test. He also worked on Jacqueline Kennedys hair pieces and wigs. I was a 2nd Lt. Infantry platoon Leader. .. 1 Gun before my luck ran out. They also had a 12 gauge, and a M 79 grenade launcher and M 16. It was always quick/quick, load the bodies in and get the hell out. . I was a 2LT on Hamburger Hill and had 4 RTOs over a 7 day period (excluding the times I ended up carrying my own radio). Such as in the song Jimmy by M.I.A look at aaja in the dictionary My indian boyfriend told me is meaning come to me, 6 Answers I have never had or heard of that particular brand, but have had several here in Canada, plus a number in the Caribbean and Asia, and there all the same, small cut hot dogs in a can, no need q now please.. Name the major nerves that serve the following body areas:? Thats why they called us GRUNTS ! Express your answer in terms of x. Amen I was a machine gunner for 7 months 503rd infantry 173rd airborne and you hit the nail right on the head. 2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam. In Vietnam 70% 0f the casualties were Infantry BUT it might be 70% of ALL the Infantry that served in Vietnam. Screaming Eagles! From the Landing Zone, we were carried not too far. 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. When the Company B units that landed on the opposite side of the river got to the bank, some troops reached in and pulled the enemy from the water. No. of what was usually 5 or 6 going in and many times the leads would find traps, punji pits or the VC waiting. 8h%5HF8r,X'q#Vtgz%)P/Oi#rU(uO&*Xx1t^=xVLi What Is The Average Life Expectancy Of A Vietnam Veteran? Mi hermana se sorprende N-F C-F Cl-F F-F 2 Answers C-F is the most polar. All the comments and replies are of absolute truth, I was only 18 when I got to Nam ,Im a country boy from NC so here I am 85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life. 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. An interesting essay, even more interesting are the comments. I pumped 200 rounds into that riverbank. Anyway I was wondering about the RTOs in a grunt platoon, was that their MOS or were they 11B that carried a PRC ? Both were infantry in WW2. One was holding a carbine. I was an Artillery Forward Observer 13F20 E-5 at that time. Assigned to HHC 1/77 Armor, 1st, BDE 5th Inf. I am convinced the same NVA soldier who shot at me moments before had killed my good friend, a budding doo-wop singer from Long Island, New York. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. U.S. Wings is a manufacturer and a supplier. Date: March 8, 2020 Author: pdoggbiker 97 Comments Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. From Cam Rahn, we kept flying north to, a Landing Zone near QUANG TRI. If the enemy was near, we never saw any. Shortly before 11 a.m. on May 18, the point squad in Company Bs 2nd Platoon spotted three NVA soldiers walking on a trail near the Cambodian border and attempted to capture them, but the NVA dashed off into the jungle. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). I never even got a shot off. We can all hold our heads high and be proud of our service. A documentary about our company and our 1st Sgt was made. Interesting, I carried a Prick 25, for 2 months. 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. We could not see any enemy soldiers, but we could see smoke coming from their weapons through the trees. three, he believes he is doing what his country wants him to dojust like you So you better damn well treat him with the compassion you want for you!! The Organization of the Viet Cong Units in the South never recovered. (Getty Images) Most war stories are about soldiers and battles. Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics "And in seizing the firm land at the . That same day, I along with 3/4 others was transported to Long Bhin Post. I know the scouts in my company had a slightly longer rate but not much. Day in the life of a Vietnam Soldier | History 118: US History Since 1877 Yes, I made E4 at graduation, that was considered a NCO then. 1 Gun and I now faced a new and more formidable foethe North Vietnamese Army. PDF Mortality Rates and Life Expectancy of Veterans - Veterans Affairs (LogOut/ 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 American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. 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 The key may be the word initial since we became more savvy with successive combats and had improved survivability. I want to know what the life expectancy of a us infantry army soldier is. In the 1st Cav medics were right behind the rto making them a very easy find also. I never saw any correlation as to what MOS a soldier was and their survival rate. I always found life expectancy numbers interesting in that I could never find any supporting information that could be validated. Enemy fire greeted as us as soon as we landed near the village. 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. Really no mention of the regular rifleman. The smell of those charred bodies, blackened and smoking from the napalm strike, is something I can never forget. Dap, Hope this helps. Thats my experience. Moving west down the trail, 4th Platoon exchanged fire with a single NVA soldier, then a handful and finally a group of about 10-15 around noon. Can I use this word like this: The addressal by the C.E.O. Soldiers from 2nd Platoon, Company C, 87th Infantry Regiment, walk on patrol north of the Long . A former expert with the M60 machine gun shares his experiences wielding the fearsome weapon in Vietnam. Prayers for all. Overview - Medics and Corpsmen - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund 1st Platoon, C Company, 2nd Battalion 327th Infantry. Nobody attacked, where we were. Fact: No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phucs brothers were killed in this incident. I never thought of it that way before but have many times since. happened. The answer that we have always been given is that 1 year in the Infantry is equivalent to 3 years of hard labor. We observed the rules of the Geneva Convention while the bad guys had no interest in doing so. ), special forces, combat support, engineering, medics, and vehicle assault weapons. Then the tempo changed suddenly and violently. Army Infantryman (MOS 11B): 2022 Career Profile - Operation Military Kids And I know what youre going to say, Because the American cs! Bullcrap!!!! My good friend who was a RTO was killed. May they rest in peace. Despite initial victories by the Communists forces, the Tet Offensive resulted in a major defeat of those forces. In 1973, Renza opened his own salon in Peekskill. Radiomen in the Vietnam War faced a 5-second life expectancy BUT WE MUST ALSO BE COGNIZANT OF OUR REQUIREMENT TO BE COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEINGS. I carried the PRC-25 Radio most of that time. A Co, 1/5 Cav, 1 Cav Division. Veteran Owned Since 1986. See my calculation below in the comments bogus indeed. 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. I was over there twice serving as a Hospital Corpsman with a marine unit. I was never formally trained as an RTO. 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 was in 2nd Platoon and carried the platoons No. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. How many draftees died in Vietnam? - 2023 a RTO got killed, it happened within 5 seconds but not that always ALL RTOs got killed. We were told in training that the life expectancy of a machine gunner was about seven seconds from the moment the first round was fired. The article was interesting. They kept coming up the hill bringing more bodies to me until all seven had been found. We were probably not too far away on that day. endstream endobj startxref I always felt that Infantry units were in more danger because of ambush issues and no permanent defensive structures. I had yet to fire a shot with No. There must have been a real mathematician to come up with those calculations. B)Enter the the Ksp expression forC2D3 in terms of the molar solubility x. Jimmy aaja -M.I.A. The casualty rate in the current war today is a fraction. 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. They have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups. The one that should be there is the combat medic. 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. 11 c mos , meaning I was also cross trained for mortars . 1: physical position (in the field / column) I just wanted to get off No. The Statistics in the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF 11/93) show an average age of death much higher than that of news reports. Both my tours were in the Delta (IV Corps) where the only ground troops were regular ARVNs and RUFF/PUFFS. Thanks. 1 Gun. At this time- senior Army leadership ordered us all to read the Geneva Convention to our troops because of the My Lai debachle. In our spare time we did medevacs and medcaps for the local communities and when required inserted SEALs . I told by RTO that i could carry my own radio, When he agreed he was humping ammo. If you were an administrative officer or clerk in an air-conditioned trailer in Saigon, your war might be a lot like peacetime duty.

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