But I made it back in one piece. NFS. hb```8fB cBLd2>Tb jz1@E; aK6Tmc.Nn"&gn7hj'wm,h d6p4u0`&88:,TMV& y@ b=e>a&^ >{2b`ZHE3psn QZ As a Huey door gunner, when we left the ground on a mission, I always thought that this mission would be my last! We fought to an agreed stalemate. AS LEADERS IN AMERICAS SERVICES WE MUST BE PROFICIENT AND READY TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSIONS- Anxiously extending the bipod legs on the M60, I added a 100-round belt to the one I already had in the gun. Amazingly, the NVA men then walked a short distance away, sat down and ate lunch. The first thing my platoon sgt. The rule of thumb was , any new guys would get the radio and keep it until another new guy came in. I did worry about the strength of my flax vest. But it was my jobso I tried not to think about it much. Its just (bad) luck, fate, randomness theres no right or wrong, no justice or fairness, no reasoning. 0 Love this analysis. 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. They also had a 12 gauge, and a M 79 grenade launcher and M 16. I was an O5C-20 in Vietnam. That was supposed to be 58, 220. but wait, there are more numbers for the same story. On Sun, Mar 8, 2020 at 4:00 PM CherriesWriter Vietnam War website wrote: > pdoggbiker posted: A friend recently sent me the link to an article > claiming that the life expectancy of a radio operator in the Vietnam War > was only 5 seconds. EACH OF US CARRIES OUR OWN MEMORIES AND THEY RUN THE GAMUT. Back home he returned to hairdressing and got a job at Kenneth Salon in New York City working with top models and fashion magazine editors. No. I served in A Company 3/22 of the 3rd Brigade 4th Infantry 12/66, then Hq Co 2/12 of the 3rd Brigade 25th Inf until the night of the TET offensive end of January 1968 and returned home July 18 1968. 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. Contents 1 Unclear objectives 2 North Vietnamese strategy Eventually I found a spot where the bed leveled off and began firing on the NVA. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? I watched in horror as four NVA soldiers ambled through the branches of a downed tree that partially concealed us. well i have been army infantry for 12 years with 2 deployments, and still going strong. Often as not he was right beside you with a stolen chicken and a bag of rice. July 68 to July 69. wias. LUCK pure LUCK. 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. 8h%5HF8r,X'q#Vtgz%)P/Oi#rU(uO&*Xx1t^=xVLi waving then I realized they Werent shooting at him only at the The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. Certainly got my attention. When Apache Snow began, I was an RTO, after Airborne, and before the CA on Dong Ap Bia, I became the AG for Roeski. 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. 4314 0 obj <> endobj 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%. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. 17 photos showing the life of an elite US Army Ranger Required fields are marked *. Spanish Help Saw from mostly safe distance almost all the weapons systems that where there used. I will always think/say, we had absolutely no reason for being in that place. I didnt want any medals. 67-67 11B 4th Id. The body felt as though it weighed considerably more than it looked. The early days of May 1970, I arrived at the Airport, next to Saigon. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture, was Vietnamese. Sgt. Hey Robert I was with the 38th Scout Dog Plt. Although the percent that died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. First Sgt. Your email address will not be published. As soon as he did, a round hit him in the forehead, blowing out the back of his skull. Sometimes on Family Guy when there about to take someones heart out they say, calimar or maybe its spelled different. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star in 1974. The smell of those charred bodies, blackened and smoking from the napalm strike, is something I can never forget. The other group of aeromedical evacuation were divisional, i.e. In your rucksack . We observed the rules of the Geneva Convention while the bad guys had no interest in doing so. I was a medic on one for two yrs and the only weapon I was issue was a six-shot .38. Naturally I was excited at the opportunity to join Sanzone, but at the same time I hated leaving 2nd Platoons No. We were all in our Bunkers, and at the ready with our weapons. They have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. We flew north, then made a stop, in Cam Rahn Bay. So I guess i lasted longer than I was supposed to. Day in the life of a Vietnam Soldier | History 118: US History Since 1877 Company B had seven dead, Grandstaff announced, and I was to take No. No. Ha Ha always enjoyed being a volunteer! 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. It was more or less next man up . How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive In 2022? - CLJ The one that should be there is the combat medic. The Vietnam War was the turning point for Communism. Welcome home. We took fire all the time and responded. Now, to calmly answer your question, air strikes have actually been an efficient technique used by us for years now. 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. No combat assignments for another year of service in Vietnam or get out in about a month. 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. There must have been a real mathematician to come up with those calculations. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action). Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. The article was interesting. Statistics about the Vietnam War - VHPA hmK#1+yNvA 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 Army suffered the most total casualties, 38,179 or 2.7 percent of its force. Here are statistics from the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF) as of November 1993. Ive always considered myself damn lucky to make it out alive. Roger Loves you too, Im sure. I didnt make a move without that gun beside me. Thats my experience. 101st Airborne Division. By the time we reached Vietnam in October 1966 I felt the gun had become a part of me. I know the scouts in my company had a slightly longer rate but not much. Mech. This makes calculations of those alive, even in 2017, difficult to maintain. As we were, steadily building up, our area for protection. The machine guns were numbered within each platoon. The incredibly important role in the U.S. Army is responsible for defending the country through real-life combat. Its not all written down. Really? Very Good , I was a radio operator up in I corps in 68 & to me the worst thing was the walking . In that time 4 us kia and 4 wounded. It was one of my most memorable tours in the Navy I later went to a carrier and was bored silly because I had about 1% of the responsibilities I had as an O-2. Our chase after the enemy unwittingly led us into a large ambush. That same day, I along with 3/4 others was transported to Long Bhin Post. It had a crew of 4 (forward gunner, the coxswain (steering and driving) and the two aft gunners. We all die, so its not even worth worrying about when in my opinion, id rather do something that i knew was worth it and risk dieing instead of living in fear of death. "And in seizing the firm land at the . "The Rangers pulled themselves over the top," President Ronald Reagan said of the men, in 1984. 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). Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Contents1 [] A Marine on patrol crosses a rice paddy in Vietnam holding an M60 machine gun in 1966. He was wounded and suffered permanent disability shortly before his tour was up. How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? 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. Please do not send samples. He said fighting was especially deadly in the war-torn city of Bakhmut, dubbed "the meat . I was with HHC and 1st Platoon C Company in 70-71. There were usually 3 man (At least 2) point teams. I credit my longetivity to great training at Ft Benning. endstream endobj startxref We were like sitting Ducks. They were located, next to us, in/on Long Bhin Post. We can all hold our heads high and be proud of our service. The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1961. If the enemy was near, we never saw any. We were in2dBn 503d . Two rounds smashed into a log inches above my head. Still shaken, I grabbed the gun and crawled to the left inside the streambed. Despite initial victories by the Communists forces, the Tet Offensive resulted in a major defeat of those forces. Hack volunteered for service in Vietnam in 1968, joining the 1st Infantry Division. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. The trailer for Fury claims that the average life expectancy of an Thanks for posting! Your article was quite interesting. Company B arrived in-country with four rifle platoons, and each platoon was armed with two M60s. 1 Gun and I survived our first firefight. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. (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. As I remember it the life expectancy was based on after the ambush was sprung or the fire fight started. I want to know what the life expectancy of a us infantry army soldier is. All that other stuff about seconds and minutes were story tellers, embellishing things to impress some listeners back home. %PDF-1.5 % One was holding a carbine. 2 Gun.. Done ranting. It didnt matter who you were or where you were. Fact: Assuming KIAs accurately represented age groups serving in Vietnam, the average age of an infantryman (MOS 11B) serving in Vietnam to be 19 years old is a myth, it is actually 22. Interesting, I carried a Prick 25, for 2 months. See also: Population How many draftees died in Vietnam? - 2023 The CACF is the basis for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall): Average age of 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years. Then we all, loaded on C-147 cargo planes. 2: role (MOS?). The Regiment traces its lineage back to World War II. All of the next day, we could see SMOKE from the fire caused by the explosions of the AMMO at, the AMMO DUMP. I had been shot in the back early in the battle and was lying behind a log with two other soldiers. 1 Gun. I had an assistant gunner, Spc. (LogOut/ V. Victor Renza was sent home after he was wounded on May 18, 1967. Prayers for all. Es ridculo que t ______ (tener) un resfriado en verano. A much better approach would be/have been: of all the combat-casualties, what was their Thank You for your courageous service as an RTO with the legendary Hawk Recon Platoon. Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. In Vietnam 70% 0f the casualties were Infantry BUT it might be 70% of ALL the Infantry that served in Vietnam. 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. Nobody attacked, where we were. We could not see any enemy soldiers, but we could see smoke coming from their weapons through the trees. The dead were placed on ponchos. Everyone in the company hit the dirt. It was always quick/quick, load the bodies in and get the hell out. Combatants on both sides faced physical challenges posed by the climate, terrain and wildlife of the country. Rules may have changed, I was in the Delta region. We gathered the casualties and set out for Company A. Welcome home!! The answer that we have always been given is that 1 year in the Infantry is equivalent to 3 years of hard labor. Enemy fire greeted as us as soon as we landed near the village. It was a daily challenge to know who your real enemy was. Great information. The 140,000 evacuees in April 1975 during the fall of Saigon consisted almost entirely of civilians and Vietnamese military, NOT American military running for their lives. 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. Most war stories are about soldiers and battles. 'No. 1 Gun': An M60 Machine Gunner in Vietnam Tells His Story - HistoryNet (and yes, you cant ask them, so it would have to be derived from the AA-reports and survivors). Very memorable comments. 2 Gun team, Ranallo and May, without any support. For his actions, he was awarded the Congressional Medal if Honor. If it was 1941 and you were an average Soviet soldier, your life expectancy on the front line was days, not weeks, thanks to the ongoing german offence. I felt the same way jumping off the chopper with my m-60, 300. rounds of ammo,grenades,sandbags and six canteens of water. Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics I was told my life expectancy was about 45 secs during a fire fight because of the weapons and demo I carried. Appx: 6 months in, all of the 543d TC joined forces with the 572d TC. In January 1967, the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, was airlifted to Pleiku province in the Central Highlands. Thank You Roger!!! 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. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. 1 Gun had registered its first kill. I knew some of this, but certainly not all. Before I became a team leader on ambush and recon I was in command of the scout jeep for the 25th ID resupply convoy from January 1968 to June 15, 1968 and I found the resupply convoys a lot more dangerous because the enemy always knew where it would be and when. THE MAN I INHERITED THE GUN FROM WASNT SO LUCKY. 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. In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans group. Soldier Life Expectancy in Ukraine 'Meat Grinder' Is 4 Hours: Marine When I was assigned to the M60 in advanced individual training, I decided that if I had to be a gunner I would learn everything there was to know about the weapon. He was killed in an ambush along with three others. Military history of African Americans in the Vietnam War 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:? He decided to stay even though he had a deep feeling he wasnt going to make it. The group found the first man killed and carried him up the hill, placing his body right next to me. 1st Cav, 101st, etc. Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division. To my right, Piambino had poked his head out of the trench to fire his M16 rifle. means: 1 gets killed the 1st second, another one after 9 seconds avg. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? 87% of Americans hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. They were well-armed, well-trained and knew how to fight. A documentary about our company and our 1st Sgt was made. I wasnt sure if the VC had moved to right or left, so I sprayed the elephant grass in both directions. Be glad you served with a soldiers soldier like LTC Herbert. 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). When Roeski got hit, I took over the M-60. If the NVA shot at the group retrieving the bodies, I was to fire over the heads of the grunts and engage the enemy. 1 Gun, I jumped into a small dry streambed with Domke, my assistant gunner. Shermans had fairly thin armor (76mm at the thickest compared to a Tiger with 180mm at the thickest with most around 100mm). 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. Sept 69 to Sept 70. The man with the carbine immediately dropped it, and the two VC surrendered. Express your answer in terms of x. Some of my men didnt. Artillery, and ground forces. I was stationed on 2 FSBs (8 & 175mm guns) west of Tay Ninh on the Cambodian boarder in the Ho Chi Minh trail and was wounded but nothing as bad as he was. A "Sapper" is a combat engineer soldier who is with the front line infantry troops. Posterior Thigh _____ 4. KICK ASS AS NEEDED!!! That was a hell of a responsibility to take on. (LogOut/ Carried the prc25 for about 7 months. His body was torn to pieces. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. At that time, an infantry company consisted of about 150 men. Of the . 97% of Vietnam Veterans were honorably discharged. (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. 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. Screaming Eagles! I put the M60s bipod legs down, lifted the weapon and positioned it on the ground outside the streambed facing the NVA. The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9. Diaphragm _____ 3. I think those numbers are percentages of US KIA, not mortality times. As a result, less than one percent of all Americans wounded, who survived the first 24 hours, died. An Rtos job was essential, tough,(Carrying the extra weight of the radio transmitter along with his rucksack), and dangerous. The next three weeks passed uneventfully. Ever since that fateful day in 1967, I have often wondered what became of my beloved M60. 1 Gun onto a small hill and provide security while others retrieved them. Bravo, 3/187th Inf, 101st Airborne Div, 2nd Plt, 2nd Sq, Hamburger Hill, May 69. Two of my closest friends in the company, Spc. Needless too say I depended on Sgt. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. According to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) there are now officially 58, 318 names on the wall. Because if only 1 RTO fought for say only 10 or 15 minutes before being killed, that would up the AVG for the total war! Id had a premonition, and asked the LT to let me trade off to become the AG. The trailer for that video can be seen by googling the title, and it might still be sold on Amazon. The NVA had wedged a blocking force between our company and Company A, preventing us from advancing any farther. This is excellent! Can I use this word like this: The addressal by the C.E.O. Well, according to current mortality and morbidity statistics for the USright around 77.5 Years! It doesnt make any sense statistically/mathematically it is impossible. https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. I was a helicopter pilot An interesting essay, even more interesting are the comments. I too never understood survivor quilt, Enjoyed your article. 1 Gun over my shoulder, grabbed a corner of a poncho and stumbled off with three other soldiers. As mentioned, who kept track of that in the first place? What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in World War II? My assistant gunner and my ammo bearer also carried 300 rounds each. 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). ), special forces, combat support, engineering, medics, and vehicle assault weapons. Quickly learned to control rate of fire. What was the average life expectancy for soldiers during Vietnam 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. 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. This is not Vietnam where a machine gunners life expectancy was short because you had an entire army shooting at them. How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? Change). The machine gun was also mounted in the UH-1 Huey helicopter and other Army aircraft. News media have reported tha an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc.Those are incorrect. El subjuntivo What was the life expectency of a private soldier in vietnam? RIP KOOKIE forever young, Thank god you are still alive, I am age 77. Hi, the whole thing is going nicely here and ofcourse every one Me, a vehicle mechanic with Btry E, 41st Arty Quads 1970. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the Vietnam War I would suspect that stating with any accuracy the life span of a grunt like me, or any other MOS, would be pretty much pure speculation. is sharing facts, thats truly good, keep up writing. rice farmer who was still working with is ox like nothing ever Vietnam War soldiers Each company had eight M60s. Sociologists Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, in their recently published book All That We Can Be, said they analyzed the claim that blacks were used like cannon fodder during Vietnam and can report definitely that this charge is untrue. Different strokes for different folks in war fer sure. You of course had the radio plus xtra batteries & handsets plus your rucksack with 7 to 8 canteens , 20 mags ( I used to carry 17 rounds in the mags instead of 20 ) because the springs would force the round into the chamber causing jams . If youre American (which you probably are), I could give a f***. 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. Was the 7th Infantry in Vietnam? - 2023 Calculate the pH of a solution of 0.157 M pyridine.? He was not the type to hump a radio. I worried about that kind of leadership style in the highlands. Lucky you. Fact: No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. After a couple of hours, the Viet Cong stopped shooting and melted back into the jungle. U.S. Wings is a manufacturer and a supplier. Bob Sanzone. I flew Dustoff and our unit did not have M60s for protection, nor did any other Dustoff unit that Im aware of. It was just part of the job. I was drafted on Nov. 10, 1965, and assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. Like you, I carried a PRC-25 for about 5 months and never got hit. hbbd```b`` ,&Iw sA '#o I also was 2/327 B company. Together we had passed the test. The 4th Platoon survivors stayed put for the night. Was I lucky ? We used to provide cover for these guys. I always found life expectancy numbers interesting in that I could never find any supporting information that could be validated. My father was on a lrrp team!65-67never was shot but killed alot.He never really got over it though died in 2012! Death by a Bottle! 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.) 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. 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. Stop staring at your computer already, get up. After a quick lesson, DeLong became the new owner of 4th Platoons No.1 Gun. I was told to help carry one of the bodies. Carrying a dead man some 300 yards through thick jungle in 100-degree heat was extraordinarily difficult. Yes, I made E4 at graduation, that was considered a NCO then. Well he didnt make it. Was it left behind on some forgotten battlefield? The Bn & Company I was assigned to, was on the last row of Bldgs. Their personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. 79% had a high school education or better. As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. I was already lugging around a 24-pound weapon, 300 rounds of ammo and a pack that weighed a good 45 pounds. What Was It Like To Hump The Boonies in Vietnam? I handled Top Secret Commo on a daily basis. Oh, and even the Air Force has ground units. The average age of the 58,148 US Servicemembers killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years (CACF) Going backwards (Apr. Nevertheless, I swung No. Hats off to them. Does this mean addressing to a crowd? So do us all a favor and please learn to be tolerant, intelligent, and active. He said when they were ambushed they took defensive positions, returned fire, called for assistance when needed, and retreated when necessary.