life expectancy of an infantry soldier in vietnam life expectancy of an infantry soldier in vietnam

We did interdictions, blocks and other fun things on the river. 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. Great reading. 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). We looked for cover and returned fire the best we could. U.S. Wings is a manufacturer and a supplier. estimated education differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14 are close to those of U. S. population in 1979-89. I carried the PRC-25 for most of a year. The average age of the men killed: 23.1 years. 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 United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. 1 Gun. No combat assignments for another year of service in Vietnam or get out in about a month. Keep in step with US Wings Join our newsletter to receive all our latest news and offers, Example: Yes, I would like to receive emails from US Wings. The Regiment traces its lineage back to World War II. I did worry about the strength of my flax vest. It was reported as an overwhelming success for the Communist forces and a decided defeat for the U.S. forces. THANKS! Good article. 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. 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. 1 Gun over my shoulder, grabbed a corner of a poncho and stumbled off with three other soldiers. RIP KOOKIE forever young, Thank god you are still alive, I am age 77. RIght there and the NVA we were usually up against knew this. Staying alive was kinda of important. Also , it I might add that the, Government big wigs, have a quota [percentage]of a lot of the Military equipment etc that had a certain amount of time to function until it was disable, blow up, wrecked, junk, etc. Two rounds smashed into a log inches above my head. This is hard to believe, losing nearly 711,000 between 95 and 00. Umm..maybe its because we also learn from experience. 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. Overrun and utterly destroyed, the 30-man 4th Platoon had suffered 21 killed and one missing. I know the scouts in my company had a slightly longer rate but not much. You just do the best job you can and if you got hit, so be it! Can I use this word like this: The addressal by the C.E.O. We walked the mountains and rice patties all thru Tu Thien Province. Thank You Roger!!! 4 Bill May and Spc. Expenditures for a body in a combat zone? I picked up my M60 and walked to the center of the perimeter, where I found the company commander, Capt. Background [ edit] History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. I was an O5C-20 in Vietnam. The article was interesting. Were talking averages, obviously so, an RTO, with an expectancy of 5 seconds (!) Nothing could be further from the truth. 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. I was in 2nd Platoon and carried the platoons No. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Address: 9241 13th Ave SW 5 Answers There is no word like addressal. Prayers for all. If anything went wrong, I could easily kill some of our soldiers. I credit my longetivity to great training at Ft Benning. KICK ASS AS NEEDED!!! 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. %%EOF An interesting essay, even more interesting are the comments. Was Billeted near an Army medevac Unit and was offered a chance to lay on my stomach with an M16 and door gun for them I decided not a good Idea. I handled Top Secret Commo on a daily basis. Company A searched in vain for the platoon in the dark and finally found the shattered unit on the morning of May 19. What percentage of Vietnam veterans actually saw combat? The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. Back in 1965, I was a door gunner on Medevac recovery operations. To cut the Ho Chi Minh Traila week after the mission endedthe trail was booming with business from the north.. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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 . Carried the prc25 for about 7 months. Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21 years old. I met a Marine a few years ago who was stationed North of Da Nang. Different strokes for different folks in war fer sure. The Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of Americas commitment in Vietnam. I will always think/say, we had absolutely no reason for being in that place. The oldest man killed was 62 years old. Well he didnt make it. I didnt want any medals. I am 81 now and survived the encounter by terminated the sniper. Sure but so was everyone else who went 12 months without getting killed or wounded. 4 Paul Domke, who carried extra belts of ammo and fed them into the gun. _____ 1. (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. I, in turn, would take an M16 rifle, which felt like a feather in comparison. I had been shot in the back early in the battle and was lying behind a log with two other soldiers. THE MAN I INHERITED THE GUN FROM WASNT SO LUCKY. If the NVA shot at the group retrieving the bodies, I was to fire over the heads of the grunts and engage the enemy. An Rtos job was essential, tough,(Carrying the extra weight of the radio transmitter along with his rucksack), and dangerous. The jungle seemed to want No. Hi, the whole thing is going nicely here and ofcourse every one 1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August, 1995 (census figures). 8h%5HF8r,X'q#Vtgz%)P/Oi#rU(uO&*Xx1t^=xVLi Ed, I was in a Grunt Platoon in Vietnam 70-71. 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). Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phucs brothers were killed in this incident. I was told my life expectancy was about 45 secs during a fire fight because of the weapons and demo I carried. The body felt as though it weighed considerably more than it looked. Cause-specific . If it had been up to me, I would have awarded my gun the CIB too. Be glad you served with a soldiers soldier like LTC Herbert. My first tour was as an advisor to the VN Abn. Terrified, I dropped down as fast as I could, pulling the gun and two ammo belts of 100 rounds apiece on top of me as I fell back into the dry streambed. As I carried a PRC25 radio for over seven-months in the > Nam, I was curious to find out what I did RIGHT to surv >, One MOS I figured was a sure short timer was POL{Fuel} Truck Driver. Well, according to current mortality and morbidity statistics for the USright around 77.5 Years! Your Dad and I had the same job. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. 11 c mos , meaning I was also cross trained for mortars . Soldiers from 2nd Platoon, Company C, 87th Infantry Regiment, walk on patrol north of the Long . From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. The one number that is really important is 56,220 and we all know what that number represents. 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. See my calculation below in the comments bogus indeed. If you have other information let me know. Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. Still, militarily, the Tet Offensive was a total defeat of the Communist forces on all fronts. I was a point man, M60 Gunner and squad leader. They were Kims cousins not her brothers. Hey Robert I was with the 38th Scout Dog Plt. If you would like to get a copy, and cant find it, let me know, and I will make sure you get one. It was a chaotic nightmare. The last American troops departed in their entirety 29 March 1973. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Do the math. I am 16 years old an 150 pounds qith some good muscle. is sharing facts, thats truly good, keep up writing. (LogOut/ What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? Out of thousands of men that invaded that town in southern Afghanistan, we have lost 19. to the empployees was very informative. Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. BS but ia a way you are correct. 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. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. As an infantry platoon Sgt of a platoon made up of all draftees my age 21 plus or minus a year We fought the largest single one day battle of the war March 21, 1967 known as the Battle of Soui Tre, fire support base Gold operation Junction City, that base was commanded by LtCol John Vessey of the 2/77 FA Vessey was a 25 year veteran of WWII fame with a DSC at Anzio, and on this day he was looking at the end of his career after that tour in Vietnam. I got shot on a mission with 45 days left. His body was torn to pieces. Walked point way to many times but never had contact. Suddenly, I heard my name shouted from the Company B command group. Spanish Help Jimmy aaja, jimmy aaja. US Wings is a veteran-owned business and an official supplier to the US Military. My heart was pounding out of my chest. Was a door gunner and crew chief for just shy of 18 months (I extended to get out early). I couldnt disagree. As we were, steadily building up, our area for protection. Saw from mostly safe distance almost all the weapons systems that where there used. In an instant the jungle erupted in gunfire. As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. Some of my men didnt. My assistant gunner and my ammo bearer also carried 300 rounds each. We ambushed and got ambushed, firebase got attacked who carried what or did what had no bearing. We were probably not too far away on that day. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. I was on a radar crew and we were told that, during war time, we would most likely be killed within minutes. Fact: No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. However, inaccurately reported, the News Media made the Tet Offensive famous. I am proud to have fought alongside of them. From a military standpoint, it was almost an unprecedented performance. 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.