never happened,we lost two sweep team members and some Very interesting I carried theM 60 for 5 months that gun would cut down anything. (tirotactico.net). As I remember it the life expectancy was based on after the ambush was sprung or the fire fight started. We could not see any enemy soldiers, but we could see smoke coming from their weapons through the trees. If youre American (which you probably are), I could give a f***. Each company had eight M60s. The fall of Saigon happened 30 April 1975, two years AFTER the American military left Vietnam. The blasts from the AMMO, really lit up the whole area. 58,148 were killed in Vietnam, 75,000 severely disabled, 23,214 were 100% disabled, 5,283 lost limbs and 1,081 sustained multiple amputations. estimated education differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14 are close to those of U. S. population in 1979-89. As we approached the battle, we heard intense firing. It may not have worked for some other wars, but they were pretty helpful. !We dont abuse prisoners Now, if he reaches for his weapon to continue the fight BLOW HIS ASS AWAY THIS AINT SUNDAY SCHOOL!!! Their personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. If you have other information let me know. DeLong had only fired the weapon once in training, so I let him fire off a few rounds to practice. How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? Hurrying forward with No. And dug Berms, in the area. Cluster F, SNAFU and FUBAR fer sur. Some were constantly exposed to combat, some not so often. And I know what youre going to say, Because the American cs! Bullcrap!!!! 2 Gun.. The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. His body was torn to pieces. The rule of thumb was , any new guys would get the radio and keep it until another new guy came in. Thats why I never understand people talking about survivors guilt it should have been me, why him? etc. Dap, Hope this helps. I was one of the many others I rode river boats in the Mekong Jan 68 to 69. 2: role (MOS?). It was more or less next man up . The earliest casualty record contains a date of death of . In total, the 7th Infantry spent four years in Vietnam. See also: Population The article was interesting. As with much of the Vietnam War, the news media misreported and misinterpreted the 1968 Tet Offensive. by Zita Ballinger Fletcher 1/18/2022. Be glad you served with a soldiers soldier like LTC Herbert. This has been going on for about a week Every time I try to watch a video on Youtube from my laptop I get instantly redirected to "gslbeacon.ligit.com." John Doever Screaming Eagles! Some 23% of Vietnam vets had fathers with professional, managerial The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation. Also: for years I have read those life-expectancy numbers never really understanding them, but also noting that they wildly vary. Answer (1 of 12): It heavily depends. If you would like to get a copy, and cant find it, let me know, and I will make sure you get one. The Statistics in the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF 11/93) show an average age of death much higher than that of news reports. Proudly holding my M60 over my head, I screamed at the top of my lungs, No. Together we had passed the test. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the Vietnam War? Company B arrived in-country with four rifle platoons, and each platoon was armed with two M60s. 10 1/2 months in the bush. Wow I was 31.8 Gun shot Carried model 1200 Winchester shot gun WIA May 68 Article was great. Bob Sanzone. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. Really no mention of the regular rifleman. An Rtos job was essential, tough,(Carrying the extra weight of the radio transmitter along with his rucksack), and dangerous. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? Look for the blue accessibility symbol floating on every page of our website and click on it to tailor your viewing experience to your particular disability. In Service to My Men | Article | The United States Army I am 81 now and survived the encounter by terminated the sniper. 15 May he was killed by friendly fire, and a host of us were WIA, myself included. U.S. Wings is a manufacturer and a supplier. 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). How many draftees died in Vietnam? - 2023 Out of thousands of men that invaded that town in southern Afghanistan, we have lost 19. They kept coming up the hill bringing more bodies to me until all seven had been found. If it was your day to get hit or die, it happened. a RTO got killed, it happened within 5 seconds but not that always ALL RTOs got killed. 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. I didnt want any medals. I too never understood survivor quilt, Enjoyed your article. My second tour was as the S3 for LTC Anthony Herbertone of Americas greatest leaders and WARRIORS OF ALL TIME. We had one RTO killed because he was too close to a 2ND Lt, same thing happened to another RTO. 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. I am 16 years old an 150 pounds qith some good muscle. Anxiously extending the bipod legs on the M60, I added a 100-round belt to the one I already had in the gun. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. BS but ia a way you are correct. In the hands of a well-trained machine gunner, the M60 was a devastating weaponso feared by our opponents that they usually aimed their first shots at the machine gunners, who were often in positions exposed to enemy fire. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. 1 Gun, I jumped into a small dry streambed with Domke, my assistant gunner. The fact is that most machine gunners, RTOs, junior officers and other extremely dangerous jobs survived the war. I will always think/say, we had absolutely no reason for being in that place. PDF Mortality Rates and Life Expectancy of Veterans - Veterans Affairs The income differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14, however, are estimated to be smaller. RIP KOOKIE forever young, Thank god you are still alive, I am age 77. In the First Armored Division, now part of the 23rd Infantry Division, commonly known as the Americal Division, combat medics were called into action every day because the fighting was now. What the hell did you hit him with? one of our men shouted. I picked up my M60 and walked to the center of the perimeter, where I found the company commander, Capt. PLEASE HELP!!! By the time we reached Vietnam in October 1966 I felt the gun had become a part of me. Still shaken, I grabbed the gun and crawled to the left inside the streambed. 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. 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%. I put the M60s bipod legs down, lifted the weapon and positioned it on the ground outside the streambed facing the NVA. It was just part of the job. I was told to help carry one of the bodies. As far as I knew that was done in the whole battalion in 1968 . On the morning of March 22, 1967, companies A and B of my battalion began a search-and-destroy operation along the Cambodian border. Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. The one number that is really important is 56,220 and we all know what that number represents. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. I felt the same way jumping off the chopper with my m-60, 300. rounds of ammo,grenades,sandbags and six canteens of water. Staying alive was kinda of important. 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? Welcome home!! Certainly got my attention. What Was It Like To Hump The Boonies in Vietnam? He was wounded and suffered permanent disability shortly before his tour was up. In my tour everyone had the same chance of getting shot. I had yet to fire a shot with No. I was lucky too but VN never left me. The casualty rate in the current war today is a fraction. Take out the power center, youve got the edge. But it was my jobso I tried not to think about it much. 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. Shea's gallantry in action at the cost of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon . El subjuntivo 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. Two of my classmates were killed within 2 weeks incountry and three wounded I know of. A much better approach would be/have been: of all the combat-casualties, what was their approaching a village and a firefight starts). 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.) This is not Vietnam where a machine gunners life expectancy was short because you had an entire army shooting at them. I know this is a standard cliche, but it is so true, All gave some. I think the number of Army and Hospital Corpsmen serving with the Marine Corp was very high, with the ratio of the number of them over there. Bruce Grandstaff and my best friend, Sgt. Calculate the pH of a solution of 0.157 M pyridine.? Which soldier had the shortest life-expectancy? - Quora I wasnt aware that they kept life expectancy statistics. It was reported as an overwhelming success for the Communist forces and a decided defeat for the U.S. forces. That was a hell of a responsibility to take on. You were a Great RTO. We walked the mountains and rice patties all thru Tu Thien Province. See my calculation below in the comments bogus indeed. We took fire all the time and responded. They also struggled with logistical problems and the complex political situation in Vietnam. Before he was drafted Renza had worked as a hairdresser for women in his hometown of Peekskill, New York. Different strokes for different folks in war fer sure. In an instant the jungle erupted in gunfire. I was an Infantry Scout Dog handler. It was very nearly my last. Bravo, 3/187th Inf, 101st Airborne Div, 2nd Plt, 2nd Sq, Hamburger Hill, May 69. https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. You just do the best job you can and if you got hit, so be it! The smell of those charred bodies, blackened and smoking from the napalm strike, is something I can never forget. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. I couldnt disagree. 1st Cav, 101st, etc. Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21 years old. I was an Artillery Forward Observer 13F20 E-5 at that time. I saw killed and wounded everywhere in our combat operations. Four platoons in a rifle company. No trees or anything on the ground. Our chase after the enemy unwittingly led us into a large ambush. The trailer for Fury claims that the average life expectancy of an Ive always considered myself damn lucky to make it out alive. 99% of infantry men will currently live to die of natural causes. Explore the Life of a U.S. Infantryman in Vietnam. The one that should be there is the combat medic. What unit lost the most soldiers in Vietnam? Artillery, and ground forces. 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). What was the average life expectancy for soldiers during World War 2 Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 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. the life expectancy of a LT in Vietnam in major combat was 16 minutes. Sure but so was everyone else who went 12 months without getting killed or wounded. Or is it on display in a Hanoi museum so curious citizens of that city can inspect a weapon captured from American imperialists? Id love to see the casualties listed by Corps ? HOOAH!!! I quit trying to make sense of all the numbers that have been generated about Vietnam. Ha Ha always enjoyed being a volunteer! Does this mean addressing to a crowd? 1 Gun was on my hip with the safety off, ready to rock and roll. You can find the polarity of a compound by finding electronegativities (an atoms desire for an electron) of the atoms; Carbon has an electronegativity of 2.5, compared to Fluorines A) Enter the the Ksp expression for the solid AB2 in terms of the molar solubility x. Then we learned, appx: 1 mile to our North was, an American AMMO storage area. 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 means: 1 gets killed the 1st second, another one after 9 seconds avg. We used to provide cover for these guys. In the last 5 years the symptoms of PTSD and AO are starting getting worse in me. Without that commitment, Communism would have swept all the way to the Malacca Straits that is south of Singapore and of great strategic importance to the free world. Welcome home. The trailer for that video can be seen by googling the title, and it might still be sold on Amazon. Now, to calmly answer your question, air strikes have actually been an efficient technique used by us for years now. I was never hit by enemy fire even though they had multiple opportunities after that I was an rto for the company commander and I have to say both jobs were not fun. Comments were more interesting than the article it self. Helicopters, F4 fighters. Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. Gotta say I think you hit it on the nose. While traveling through the boonies the first few men were usually always shot first. We are a woman-owned small business and Veteran-owned incorporated in Ohio. In all that time, the Tet 1968 fighting in Saigon was the only time the unit fought a pitched urban battlevery unusual during the war. So I guess I defied the odds. Sholly finally agreed and stated that the next time we received replacements I could give one of them my M60. Sholly injured an ankle, and 1st Lt. Cary Allen took command of Company B. I spent 10 1/2 months in the jungles of Vietnam. First Sgt. The United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. 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. There were two different groups that flew aeromedical evacuations. In Vietnam he cut the hair of everyone in his company for free. Surrounded by an enemy battalion, our hopelessly outnumbered platoon waged a desperate battle for survival. 1 gun! Everyone laughed. Like you, I carried a PRC-25 for about 5 months and never got hit. 5 Answers There is no word like addressal. I was wasting ammo and didnt even have a target! %%EOF V. Victor Renza was sent home after he was wounded on May 18, 1967. 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. 2 Gun to Ranallo. The machine gun was also mounted in the UH-1 Huey helicopter and other Army aircraft. 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 Then he said youre on a FB, the enemy always knows your location, can pretty much attack at will, and you really dont have the capability to retreat. A former expert with the M60 machine gun shares his experiences wielding the fearsome weapon in Vietnam.
A Paragraph To Tell Someone You Hate Them, How To Stay In A Hotel During Covid, 1 Samuel Commentary John Macarthur, Children's Museum Of Manhattan Coupon, Jackie Jackson Net Worth 2021, Articles L