Now, to calmly answer your question, air strikes have actually been an efficient technique used by us for years now. We had one RTO killed because he was too close to a 2ND Lt, same thing happened to another RTO. Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation. As I made it back to the road I remember seeing the I also earned a Combat Infantryman Badge, signifying that I had been actively engaged in combat. Of the eight who remained, seven were wounded. 2: role (MOS?). 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. In your rucksack . I saw killed and wounded everywhere in our combat operations. They also struggled with logistical problems and the complex political situation in Vietnam. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. We used to provide cover for these guys. Please do not send samples. 101st Airborne Division. Soldiers from 2nd Platoon, Company C, 87th Infantry Regiment, walk on patrol north of the Long . 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. a RTO got killed, it happened within 5 seconds but not that always ALL RTOs got killed. The two platoons were to advance no more than 200 yards from the main body of the company. B)Enter the the Ksp expression forC2D3 in terms of the molar solubility x. Jimmy aaja -M.I.A. approaching a village and a firefight starts). 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 . 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). 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. I look over to 1st Platoon, C Company, 2nd Battalion 327th Infantry. Around 3 p.m., when Grandstaff realized we were about to be overrun, he called in artillery right on top of our location. Calculate the pH of a solution of 0.157 M pyridine.? The other group of aeromedical evacuation were divisional, i.e. Was No. Found NVA bunker complex. The average life expectancy of a Soviet soldier during the height of the battle was just 24 hours. The rule of thumb was , any new guys would get the radio and keep it until another new guy came in. Diaphragm _____ 3. 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. I prayed I would not have to fire over the heads of the 4th Platoon troops entering the draw to retrieve our dead. HOOAH!!! 5 seconds. I was shot down on my very first mission in July 1968. Soon after, Pfc. I was lucky too but VN never left me. Great information. He was wounded and suffered permanent disability shortly before his tour was up. This is excellent! We were discussing the different units and dangers of each. I put the M60s bipod legs down, lifted the weapon and positioned it on the ground outside the streambed facing the NVA. %PDF-1.5 % waving then I realized they Werent shooting at him only at the The Bronze Star was awarded to ALL that were awarded the CIB in WWII because the Infantry accounted for over 70% of the casualties in WWLL BUT NOT 70% )F ALL THE INFANTRY !!! A typical Patrol Boat River (PBR) was about 31 feet long and had twin 50s forward an M 60 midships and a 50 aft. I've never heard about the life expectancy of 6 weeks (even with a short google search). Thank You General Vessey for the almost 53 years I have lived since that day. 1 Gun used to kill Americans? Life Expectancy of the World Population. I was never formally trained as an RTO. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. Amazingly, the NVA men then walked a short distance away, sat down and ate lunch. !We dont abuse prisoners Now, if he reaches for his weapon to continue the fight BLOW HIS ASS AWAY THIS AINT SUNDAY SCHOOL!!! And yes, please God, bless America. They kept coming up the hill bringing more bodies to me until all seven had been found. Sorry,I was one of your Brothers in Arms that helped talk you out of enlisting for another year in Vietnam. Of the . Different type units, different locations, different opinions on dangers. No combat assignments for another year of service in Vietnam or get out in about a month. What unit lost the most soldiers in Vietnam? Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? Then I dropped back down in the streambed to organize our ammo. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. Although the percent that died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. Army Infantrymen (11B) are the main land combat force, and known as "Eleven Bravo.". However, Shermans were very outmatched by the German tanks on the field of battle. Me molesta que mis padres no ______ (cuidar) su alimentacin.. 3. 8h%5HF8r,X'q#Vtgz%)P/Oi#rU(uO&*Xx1t^=xVLi Welcome Home Brothers ! well i have been army infantry for 12 years with 2 deployments, and still going strong. 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. Once we turned on the radar they could hit us with a harm missile. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? 1 Gun before my luck ran out. 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. 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. Welcome Home Roger. This Battle changed his life and his future, had it not been for his actions, every man on this FSB Gold would have died. I met a Marine a few years ago who was stationed North of Da Nang. Each company had eight M60s. But it was my jobso I tried not to think about it much. 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. I kept the radio because I understood the power of having the first communication with the support mechanisms of the military. It was an HONOR and a privilege to serve with these brave men for my 11 month tour. In Vietnam 70% 0f the casualties were Infantry BUT it might be 70% of ALL the Infantry that served in Vietnam. 1 Gun over my shoulder, grabbed a corner of a poncho and stumbled off with three other soldiers. Interesting, I carried a Prick 25, for 2 months. 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. On the morning of March 22, 1967, companies A and B of my battalion began a search-and-destroy operation along the Cambodian border. meaning what is the chance of me getting killed in combat. The CDC Vietnam Experience Study Mortality Assessment showed that during the first 5 years after discharge, deaths from suicide were 1.7 times more likely among Vietnam veterans than non-Vietnam veterans. Foot soldiers went by the grace of God, but had a better chance than the infantry platoon commander in combat. Deltoid muscle _____ 2. The battalion was sending us to a village with a small river running through it. 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. This makes our site more accessible to the blind, visually impaired, motor disabled, people with cognitive disabilities and more. The Regiment traces its lineage back to World War II. 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. Although we do tend to bomb a lot, thats only half of what we do. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action). If you have other information let me know. We observed the rules of the Geneva Convention while the bad guys had no interest in doing so. 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). MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. I also was 2/327 B company. Welcome home. 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. Your article was quite interesting. Answer (1 of 12): It heavily depends. I always felt that Infantry units were in more danger because of ambush issues and no permanent defensive structures. Appx: 6 months in, all of the 543d TC joined forces with the 572d TC. 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. I credit my longetivity to great training at Ft Benning. As a Huey door gunner, when we left the ground on a mission, I always thought that this mission would be my last! After every officer in our company was either killed or had serious wounds, our 1st Sgt , David McNerney took over the company and without his leadership, and knowledge of war, and unbelievable courage, our company would probably have been wiped out. Do the math. Average age of men killed: 23.1 years Total Deaths: 23.11 years Enlisted: 50,274; 22.37 years Officers: 6,598; 28.43 years Warrants: 1,276; 24.73 years E1: 525; 20.34 years Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old. I was told to help carry one of the bodies. It means, IF (!) I want to know what the life expectancy of a us infantry army soldier is. Not much different than his unit. During that same Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served was: 9,492,958. 4 Paul Domke, who carried extra belts of ammo and fed them into the gun. hb```8fB cBLd2>Tb jz1@E; aK6Tmc.Nn"&gn7hj'wm,h d6p4u0`&88:,TMV& y@ b=e>a&^ >{2b`ZHE3psn QZ We did interdictions, blocks and other fun things on the river. My good friend who was a RTO was killed. This is not Vietnam where a machine gunners life expectancy was short because you had an entire army shooting at them. 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. 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. If you look at all of the things the radio operators were tasked with, it becomes abundantly clear why commo guys weren't expected to last long. Thats what I figured but didnt know for sure. Half of the company hopped off the Huey on one side of the river, and the rest exited on the other side. Nevertheless, I swung No. said to me. Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison only one-half of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes. The one number that is really important is 56,220 and we all know what that number represents. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. Interesting but something is missing. 1 Gun, I jumped into a small dry streambed with Domke, my assistant gunner. In 1973, Renza opened his own salon in Peekskill. 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. Sometimes on Family Guy when there about to take someones heart out they say, calimar or maybe its spelled different. 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. We fought to an agreed stalemate. Suddenly, I heard my name shouted from the Company B command group. I would carry when on ambush. Love you Wortman!!!! We gathered the casualties and set out for Company A. I pumped 200 rounds into that riverbank. 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 . I didnt want any medals. The blasts from the AMMO, really lit up the whole area. Seattle, Washington(WA), 98106. RIght there and the NVA we were usually up against knew this. Soldiers also act in the mobilization of vehicles, weaponry, troops, and more. Done ranting. The average life expectancy of a front-line soldier in eastern Ukraine is four hours, a Marine said. U.S. Wings is a manufacturer and a supplier. Michael Doolittle..I was with 1/8 inf, 1st Brigade, and that day, March 22nd was also our darkest day. We were all in our Bunkers, and at the ready with our weapons. At this time- senior Army leadership ordered us all to read the Geneva Convention to our troops because of the My Lai debachle. In my tour everyone had the same chance of getting shot. 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. The one that should be there is the combat medic. I got shot on a mission with 45 days left. Thank You for your courageous service as an RTO with the legendary Hawk Recon Platoon. Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. Ambulances are not supposed to be armed (either) though in training, medics are told they and their vehicles will be a prime target. I worried about that kind of leadership style in the highlands. As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. 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 reading. As soon as he did, a round hit him in the forehead, blowing out the back of his skull. A documentary about our company and our 1st Sgt was made. All of the next day, we could see SMOKE from the fire caused by the explosions of the AMMO at, the AMMO DUMP. He decided to stay even though he had a deep feeling he wasnt going to make it. At Fort Lewis, every recruit learned to operate various weapons. Ed, I was in a Grunt Platoon in Vietnam 70-71. If the enemy was near, we never saw any. In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans group. (LogOut/ 15 May he was killed by friendly fire, and a host of us were WIA, myself included. I never saw any correlation as to what MOS a soldier was and their survival rate. It had a crew of 4 (forward gunner, the coxswain (steering and driving) and the two aft gunners. RIP KOOKIE forever young, Thank god you are still alive, I am age 77. We went out typically in two boat patrols one lead one cover . 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? I was an Infantry Scout Dog handler. We had run patrols for about a month when I first saw action. The Bn & Company I was assigned to, was on the last row of Bldgs. I was a cmbt engr demolition specialist carried a 45 auto and an M70 grenade launcher in addition to the C-4 and Det Cord. wmy:LsN{/^yzJ] 6.7>n-:FqOa#CW>ia?wt?Xa@ghCd bF)`Schl4*f. The Davis Station in Saigon was named for him. Now we know. The Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File of the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) Extract Files contains records of 58,220 U.S. military fatal casualties of the Vietnam War. The income differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14, however, are estimated to be smaller. Two of my classmates were killed within 2 weeks incountry and three wounded I know of. We could not see any enemy soldiers, but we could see smoke coming from their weapons through the trees. 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. 10-4. I was also told that the Radio did put a target on my back. I personally carried 300 rounds of ammo at all times, one belt in the gun and two across my chest. The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. No. From Cam Rahn, we kept flying north to, a Landing Zone near QUANG TRI. I had yet to fire a shot with No. Lived too tell about it. 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. I was an Artillery Forward Observer with the Infantry. 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.) I was a REMF but Ive heard of 05Cs that were stuck out in the boonies on a firebase. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE VIETNAM VETS ARE NOT. The helicopter provided unprecedented mobility. year old Marine thinking this is my last day on earth. 2 Gun.. Then we all, loaded on C-147 cargo planes. I am one lucky SOB. We were like sitting Ducks. A former expert with the M60 machine gun shares his experiences wielding the fearsome weapon in Vietnam. Some gave all. Forget the statistics, we all had a job to do, we went where we were told. It was a chaotic nightmare. Hi, the whole thing is going nicely here and ofcourse every one I was a grunt with c co. 4/31 196th it inf bade. Still, militarily, the Tet Offensive was a total defeat of the Communist forces on all fronts. The trailer for that video can be seen by googling the title, and it might still be sold on Amazon. The TOTAL number of CIB and CMB awarded would give you the answer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sgt. The rolling fire burned everything to the ground and undoubtedly killed scores of NVA. I never understood why they didnt put M60s on Medevacs (once the VC shot them down) but then, we now know they never intended to win that war in the first place. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. Like you, I carried a PRC-25 for about 5 months and never got hit. 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. How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? May was eventually able to hand off 2nd Platoons No. DeLong had only fired the weapon once in training, so I let him fire off a few rounds to practice. You were a Great RTO. I had been shot in the back early in the battle and was lying behind a log with two other soldiers. Anyway I was wondering about the RTOs in a grunt platoon, was that their MOS or were they 11B that carried a PRC ? However, it was the discretion of the individual crewmen if they wanted to carry personal weapons or not. 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. Umm..maybe its because we also learn from experience. Like most inexperienced gunners, he underestimated the power of the pig and failed to keep the barrel down when firing. Our chase after the enemy unwittingly led us into a large ambush. 1 Gun kept a lot of enemy heads down. Data based on the latest United Nations Population Division estimates. Be glad you served with a soldiers soldier like LTC Herbert. For example, life expectancy of male and female Veterans with household incomes less than $20,000, at respectively. I was a helicopter pilot 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). The U.S. Infantryman Vietnam Pocket Manual contains gems such as infantry "patrol tips," maneuver techniques, and fighting methods for various environments. Bruce Grandstaff and my best friend, Sgt. 5 Answers There is no word like addressal. US Wings is a verified SAM Contractor and DLA Supplier and is officially listed as a manufacturer/retailer in the US Department of Commerce's Office of Textile and Apparel (OTEXA) Made in the USA database. I was a medic on one for two yrs and the only weapon I was issue was a six-shot .38. Good article. I couldnt see DeLong and didnt know if No. Over the next two months, we exchanged fire with groups of the NVA. 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. Shermans had fairly thin armor (76mm at the thickest compared to a Tiger with 180mm at the thickest with most around 100mm). 10 1/2 months in the bush. Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. In the last 5 years the symptoms of PTSD and AO are starting getting worse in me. If you ask people who live in these countries that won the war in Vietnam, they have a different opinion from the American news media. He retired in 2012 and lives in Delray Beach, Florida. There were no Americans involved in any capacity. NFS. is sharing facts, thats truly good, keep up writing. 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. The 4th Platoons single machine gun crewthe platoon had entered the fight short a gunhad been killed in the fighting, and I was to be moved there. I sure feel for all you guys that went outside the wire. Ordered to reinforce the unit, the Company B commander put our four platoons abreast of each other, and we marched west. Thats why I never understand people talking about survivors guilt it should have been me, why him? etc. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. If my memory is correct, only the 1st Cab flew wiith doorgunners. The answer that we have always been given is that 1 year in the Infantry is equivalent to 3 years of hard labor. 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 group found the first man killed and carried him up the hill, placing his body right next to me. 240 men were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War. Great story!!! 99% of infantry men will currently live to die of natural causes. Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division. Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. Many were killed or wounded ! 4 Bill May and Spc. To my right, Piambino had poked his head out of the trench to fire his M16 rifle. They have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups. Why is my internet redirecting to gslbeacon.ligit.com and how do I STOP THIS. Rules may have changed, I was in the Delta region. They were a great bunch. The fact is that most machine gunners, RTOs, junior officers and other extremely dangerous jobs survived the war. A Marine on patrol crosses a rice paddy in Vietnam holding an M60 machine gun in 1966. See you in the next life!!!!! The earliest casualty record contains a date of death of . Were talking averages, obviously so, an RTO, with an expectancy of 5 seconds (!) 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 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. 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 Two rounds smashed into a log inches above my head. 6 Answers They say Kali Ma Theyre referencing this scene from the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: What is the life expectancy of an army infantry soldier? My heart was pounding out of my chest. Very Good , I was a radio operator up in I corps in 68 & to me the worst thing was the walking . US Wings provides aviation apparel to the U.S. Government and commercial customers along with the general public. Artillery, and ground forces. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. For his actions, he was awarded the Congressional Medal if Honor. Was it left behind on some forgotten battlefield? News media have reported tha an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc.Those are incorrect. I was already lugging around a 24-pound weapon, 300 rounds of ammo and a pack that weighed a good 45 pounds. The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9. We were expecting, an attack. My first tour was as an advisor to the VN Abn.
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