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Contents 1 Unclear objectives 2 North Vietnamese strategy We were expecting, an attack. hmK#1+yNvA Cluster F, SNAFU and FUBAR fer sur. Each company had eight M60s. Wow I was 31.8 Gun shot Carried model 1200 Winchester shot gun WIA May 68 Article was great. 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. Different strokes for different folks in war fer sure. Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division. Activated in 1915, as the 173rd Infantry Brigade, the unit saw service in World War II but is best known for its actions during the Vietnam War. In a strange country scared shitless .I was a minesweeper.My first time out on a mission they put me on the drag line fifty yards from the road which was route 1, Then all hell broke lose Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation. Umm..maybe its because we also learn from experience. Thanks for the reply. This was another example in the Vietnam War of an inaccuracy becoming the perceived truth. In Company A, 22 men had been killedadded to the seven killed in Company B. Bob Sanzone. rice farmer who was still working with is ox like nothing ever 11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old. 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! Three-fourths had family incomes above the poverty level; 50% were from middle income backgrounds. Soon after, Pfc. I picked up my M60 and walked to the center of the perimeter, where I found the company commander, Capt. Of the . They kept coming up the hill bringing more bodies to me until all seven had been found. Thank God I made it. Hurrying forward with No. Then the tempo changed suddenly and violently. 1 Gun and I survived our first firefight. Screaming Eagles! As far as I knew that was done in the whole battalion in 1968 . THE MAN I INHERITED THE GUN FROM WASNT SO LUCKY. Statistics about the Vietnam War - VHPA Nervous, I set up my gun on the hill and loaded a new hundred-round belt. There were usually 3 man (At least 2) point teams. The blasts from the AMMO, really lit up the whole area. What was the life expectency of a private soldier in vietnam? I watched in horror as four NVA soldiers ambled through the branches of a downed tree that partially concealed us. Do the math. The NVA had wedged a blocking force between our company and Company A, preventing us from advancing any farther. You just do the best job you can and if you got hit, so be it! He decided to stay even though he had a deep feeling he wasnt going to make it. As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. %%EOF Amazingly, the NVA men then walked a short distance away, sat down and ate lunch. And dug Berms, in the area. The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. I had a 20% death rate in my Hospital Corpsman Class. I was on a radar crew and we were told that, during war time, we would most likely be killed within minutes. Michael Doolittle..I was with 1/8 inf, 1st Brigade, and that day, March 22nd was also our darkest day. 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). Life expectancy at birth. Database. I felt the same way jumping off the chopper with my m-60, 300. rounds of ammo,grenades,sandbags and six canteens of water. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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. The key may be the word initial since we became more savvy with successive combats and had improved survivability. Gotta say I think you hit it on the nose. 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. Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old. Welcome home. 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. Surrounded by an enemy battalion, our hopelessly outnumbered platoon waged a desperate battle for survival. 2 Gun.. Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. Units would send a thorough report of their KIA and WIA, battle action coordinates, estimated enemy troop strength, enemy unit KIA/captured and any known direction heading. If anything went wrong, I could easily kill some of our soldiers. BUT WE MUST ALSO BE COGNIZANT OF OUR REQUIREMENT TO BE COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEINGS. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in World War II? The incredibly important role in the U.S. Army is responsible for defending the country through real-life combat. What was the average life expectancy for soldiers during World War 2 Like you, I carried a PRC-25 for about 5 months and never got hit. I couldnt see DeLong and didnt know if No. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. See my calculation below in the comments bogus indeed. My dog and I walked point my whole tour in Vietnam. In January 1967, the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, was airlifted to Pleiku province in the Central Highlands. I had scary thoughts about myself humping the bush as a RTO, I was a real puny guy back then. The average life expectancy of a Soviet soldier during the height of the battle was just 24 hours. No creo que Susana _____ (seguir) sobre los consejos de su mdico. Postservice Mortality in Vietnam Veterans : 30-Year Follow-up - JAMA 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. So do us all a favor and please learn to be tolerant, intelligent, and active. Found NVA bunker complex. I was an Infantry Scout Dog handler. In my tour everyone had the same chance of getting shot. It weighed 24 pounds, was 43.5 inches long and had bipod legs that folded down to stabilize the weapon when firing from a prone position. This makes calculations of those alive, even in 2017, difficult to maintain. 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. We were very, lucky. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. I was to have that experience two more times before it was over. Welcome home brothers and sisters. 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. At that time, an infantry company consisted of about 150 men. I personally believe and agree with previous posts that when its your time, not much you can do. US Wings is a veteran-owned business and an official supplier to the US Military. David H. McNerney, who assumed command of the company when all of its officers were killed or wounded, was presented with the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony in September 1968. Take out the power center, youve got the edge. Radiomen in the Vietnam War faced a 5-second life expectancy They were great patriots fighting for their families and their homeland. 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. Nevertheless, I swung No. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. I may not have hit anyone that day, but I am certain that No. I was already lugging around a 24-pound weapon, 300 rounds of ammo and a pack that weighed a good 45 pounds. 1 Gun, I jumped into a small dry streambed with Domke, my assistant gunner. In Vietnam 70% 0f the casualties were Infantry BUT it might be 70% of ALL the Infantry that served in Vietnam. 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. 1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August, 1995 (census figures). 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%. In our spare time we did medevacs and medcaps for the local communities and when required inserted SEALs . 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. Total fantasy. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. Ed, I was in a Grunt Platoon in Vietnam 70-71. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. 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. 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. The two platoons were to advance no more than 200 yards from the main body of the company. Me molesta que mis padres no ______ (cuidar) su alimentacin.. 3. I didnt make a move without that gun beside me. I always found life expectancy numbers interesting in that I could never find any supporting information that could be validated. Ambushed on October 4th,1967. Also: for years I have read those life-expectancy numbers never really understanding them, but also noting that they wildly vary. It was just north of Saigon. El subjuntivo 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. Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. I was also told that the Radio did put a target on my back. Papitto Opportunity Connections Mission: The Papitto Opportunity Connection (POC) is a private foundation dedicated to listening and working together with Rhode Islands BIPOC communities to empower and create individual success stories by investing in education, job skills training, and entrepreneurial ventures. Most war stories are about soldiers and battles. They have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups. 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. 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. The Statistics in the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF 11/93) show an average age of death much higher than that of news reports. 2 Gun team, Ranallo and May, without any support. of what was usually 5 or 6 going in and many times the leads would find traps, punji pits or the VC waiting. 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. How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? Suddenly, I heard my name shouted from the Company B command group. Ernest, Im glad that your first tour with the VN airborne was rewarding. We were about 700 yards east of Company A when it was ambushed by an NVA battalion. The planes doing the bombing near the village were VNAF (Vietnam Air Force) and were being flown by Vietnamese pilots in support of South Vietnamese troops on the ground. Around 3 p.m., when Grandstaff realized we were about to be overrun, he called in artillery right on top of our location. Welcome home!! In Vietnam, 1 in 400 of the wounded died of their . From a military standpoint, it was almost an unprecedented performance. Ever since that fateful day in 1967, I have often wondered what became of my beloved M60. Your email address will not be published. Although we do tend to bomb a lot, thats only half of what we do. HOOAH!!! It was a chaotic nightmare. 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. That same day, I along with 3/4 others was transported to Long Bhin Post. I was constantly untangling the barrel and bipod of the gun from grasping vines and branches. 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! That means you lose five RTOs in 5 seconds. How many draftees died in Vietnam? - 2023 Anyway I was wondering about the RTOs in a grunt platoon, was that their MOS or were they 11B that carried a PRC ? We had run patrols for about a month when I first saw action. my left and saw this rice paddie farmer and his ox and I was trying to motion him to get down he just looks at me and starts 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. I was one of the lucky ones I came home without a physical scratch. We went out typically in two boat patrols one lead one cover . See also: Population Life Expectancy by Country and in the World (2023) - Worldometer I packed my own radio and got a Thank you from his Mom. sweep team,then I heard the choppers and they were blowing the hell out in the tree line then it just got so quiet like nothing What is the life expectancy of Vietnam veterans? Though I flew only about 1/2 dozen missions as a Huey door gunner, I was initially told to sit on my flak jacket I always did so (personal protection first). 10 1/2 months in the bush. I had to rely on my gun more than before. Lt lost a finger, same time. I think what is missing is the fact that the life expectancy of those firing at us was much shorter than those that they were firing at. Of the eight who remained, seven were wounded. 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. 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. Foot soldiers went by the grace of God, but had a better chance than the infantry platoon commander in combat. The 4th Platoon survivors stayed put for the night. An Hinglish word (Hindi/English). A typical Patrol Boat River (PBR) was about 31 feet long and had twin 50s forward an M 60 midships and a 50 aft. The next three weeks passed uneventfully. The fact that PDoggbiker cant find any decent calculation/explanation, tells us a lot. I remember hearing a Lieutenant (Kennedy) say to one of his two platoon RTOs My RTO is Foxtrot Uniform. 2: role (MOS?). The Tet Offensive succeeded on only one front and that was the News front and the political arena. Name the major nerves that serve the following body areas? The U.S. Army Infantryman Vietnam Pocket Manual Review - HistoryNet I quit trying to make sense of all the numbers that have been generated about Vietnam. E)V_5lu[vC3+"vg2L& 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. the life expectancy of a LT in Vietnam in major combat was 16 minutes. 4 Joey Piambino were to my right in the streambed. "And in seizing the firm land at the . Calculate the pH of a solution of 0.157 M pyridine.?