It is Honor in the Valley of Tears. 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. From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. Soldiers also act in the mobilization of vehicles, weaponry, troops, and more. I was an RTO for 9-1/2 months for Hawk Recon 2/327 101AB from dec, 1969 to sept 70. Date: March 8, 2020 Author: pdoggbiker 97 Comments Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. Four platoons in a rifle company. We were very, lucky. Corrections and confirmations to this errored index resulted in the addition of 358 U.S. military personnel confirmed to have served in Vietnam but not originally listed by the Department of Defense (All names are currently on file and accessible 24/7/365). 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. Life Expectancy by Country and in the World (2023) - Worldometer 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. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. On the morning of March 22, 1967, companies A and B of my battalion began a search-and-destroy operation along the Cambodian border. I carried the PRC-25 for most of a year. The article was interesting. In your rucksack . This is hard to believe, losing nearly 711,000 between 95 and 00. 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%. What Is The Average Life Expectancy Of A Vietnam Veteran? "And in seizing the firm land at the . He decided to stay even though he had a deep feeling he wasnt going to make it. I am 81 now and survived the encounter by terminated the sniper. This article appeared in the October 2021 issue of Vietnam magazine. How many draftees died in Vietnam? - 2023 79% had a high school education or better. I too never understood survivor quilt, Enjoyed your article. Needless too say I depended on Sgt. three, he believes he is doing what his country wants him to dojust like you So you better damn well treat him with the compassion you want for you!! 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. What the hell did you hit him with? one of our men shouted. 5 seconds. PDF Mortality Rates and Life Expectancy of Veterans from 1980 to 2017, and The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. I was an M-60 machine gunner for a battalion recon platoon in 1967, for the First Infantry Division, Known as The Black Scarf Battalion. Its not all written down. But I made it back in one piece. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. A documentary about our company and our 1st Sgt was made. 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've never heard about the life expectancy of 6 weeks (even with a short google search). Cause-specific . The helicopter provided unprecedented mobility. The trailer for that video can be seen by googling the title, and it might still be sold on Amazon. They were a great bunch. My shit got weak and a sniper popped three rounds in my young ass. The first six or seven months I walked point for our platoon and led many ambushes and green eye patrols. Information presented by SFC (Ret) David Hack. As some said, averages are meaningless. E)V_5lu[vC3+"vg2L& I had a 20% death rate in my Hospital Corpsman Class. 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 carried the proc 26 radio after I was asked by my field 1st ( E 7 ) if I would for my platoon . 82nd 2/505th. One afternoon, while Company B was still in the Tuy Hoa area, we received orders to gather up our gear and get ready to board choppers for an assault into a hot landing zone. Carried the prc25 for about 7 months. John Doever DeLong had only fired the weapon once in training, so I let him fire off a few rounds to practice. Together we had passed the test. Also, it would mean the killed RTOs died within seconds of the fight (it doesnt distinguish between ambush or regular fight, eg. approaching a village and a firefight starts). Spanish Help 87% of Americans hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. 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 . We were all in our Bunkers, and at the ready with our weapons. Quickly learned to control rate of fire. No trees or anything on the ground. 2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam. How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? Some 23% of Vietnam vets had fathers with professional, managerial I handled Top Secret Commo on a daily basis. wmy:LsN{/^yzJ] 6.7>n-:FqOa#CW>ia?wt?Xa@ghCd bF)`Schl4*f. We used to provide cover for these guys. well i have been army infantry for 12 years with 2 deployments, and still going strong. Rarely do we examine war through the unique bond between a man and his weaponin this case the . Posterior Thigh _____ 4. Most war stories are about soldiers and battles. The average life expectancy of a Soviet soldier during the height of the battle was just 24 hours. 99% of infantry men will currently live to die of natural causes. located on the South End of, the Post. His comparison to a FB was that if we were fired on we returned fire and requested assistance when needed. 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. The Vietnam War was the turning point for Communism. Completa las oraciones con la forma correcta del presente de subjuntivo de los verbos entre parntesis.? Total fantasy. Three-fourths had family incomes above the poverty level; 50% were from middle income backgrounds. Nervous, I set up my gun on the hill and loaded a new hundred-round belt. 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 !!! where can i find red bird vienna sausage? .. RIght there and the NVA we were usually up against knew this. Point was the safest place to be,they knew to wait for key elements, RTO, Medica, M60 Gunners. As far as I knew that was done in the whole battalion in 1968 . 'No. 1 Gun': An M60 Machine Gunner in Vietnam Tells His Story - HistoryNet How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? Before he was drafted Renza had worked as a hairdresser for women in his hometown of Peekskill, New York. 101st Airborne Division. (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. I was to have that experience two more times before it was over. An infantry platoon commander in combat had an average of 6 weeks life expectancy. I know the scouts in my company had a slightly longer rate but not much. I kept the radio because I understood the power of having the first communication with the support mechanisms of the military. It was always quick/quick, load the bodies in and get the hell out. The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9. I packed my own radio and got a Thank you from his Mom. 11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old. 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 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. US Wings provides aviation apparel to the U.S. Government and commercial customers along with the general public. I was sitting on the ground one day trying to dry out my gear and better configure my ruck when my squad leader came walking over to me and said, Gow, youve got the radio. As he turned and walked away! The first thing my platoon sgt. I want to know what the life expectancy of a us infantry army soldier is. Had multiple Ks and Ws. I was a medic on one for two yrs and the only weapon I was issue was a six-shot .38. said to me. 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. It was a daily challenge to know who your real enemy was. First Sgt. Thanks. For some reason, the written word of this article was somehow deleted and lost. life expectancy of an infantry soldier in vietnam - lbgf.org Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. He also worked on Jacqueline Kennedys hair pieces and wigs. I was told my life expectancy was about 45 secs during a fire fight because of the weapons and demo I carried. What is the life expectancy of Vietnam veterans? I am one lucky SOB. Much smaller income differentials in life expectancy, 0.2 to 3.6 life-years smaller for Veterans in 2010-17 are estimated. The other group of aeromedical evacuation were divisional, i.e. ), special forces, combat support, engineering, medics, and vehicle assault weapons. 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. Thats my experience. Two rounds smashed into a log inches above my head. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Address: 9241 13th Ave SW Your email address will not be published. The casualty rate in the current war today is a fraction. I spent 10 1/2 months in the jungles of 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. Wortman, another RTO never made it back to The World. Soon I could take the gun apart and put it back together in the dark. 97% of Vietnam Veterans were honorably discharged. Our 5th night there, the AMMO area started burning / blowing up. The one that should be there is the combat medic. We soon learned that the NVA troops were very different from the local guerrillas we had fought around Tuy Hoa. In my tour everyone had the same chance of getting shot. Dap, Hope this helps. Often as not he was right beside you with a stolen chicken and a bag of rice. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. They kept coming up the hill bringing more bodies to me until all seven had been found. And yes, please God, bless America. Work Plz. Can I use this word like this: The addressal by the C.E.O. The enemy fire ceased, and we made arrangements to collect our dead before continuing on to Company A. of what was usually 5 or 6 going in and many times the leads would find traps, punji pits or the VC waiting. 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. I knew some of this, but certainly not all. As I remember it the life expectancy was based on after the ambush was sprung or the fire fight started. 2. Thank You for your courageous service as an RTO with the legendary Hawk Recon Platoon. Very Good , I was a radio operator up in I corps in 68 & to me the worst thing was the walking . 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. My good friend who was a RTO was killed. This makes calculations of those alive, even in 2017, difficult to maintain. The key may be the word initial since we became more savvy with successive combats and had improved survivability. The CACF is the basis for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall): Average age of 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years. No combat assignments for another year of service in Vietnam or get out in about a month. There were no Americans involved in any capacity. Artillery, and ground forces. 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. Although the percent that died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9. For example, life expectancy of male and female Veterans with household incomes less than $20,000, at respectively. Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. Supported by a shoulder strap, No. The average age of the 58,148 US Servicemembers killed in Vietnam was . We were probably not too far away on that day. 1 Gun had registered its first kill. I prayed I would not have to fire over the heads of the 4th Platoon troops entering the draw to retrieve our dead. Welcome home!! 1 Gun over my shoulder, grabbed a corner of a poncho and stumbled off with three other soldiers. Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison only one-half of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes. The early days of May 1970, I arrived at the Airport, next to Saigon. Life expectancy at birth. 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. (many of the Soviet casualties were POWs, though). 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. The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. In our spare time we did medevacs and medcaps for the local communities and when required inserted SEALs . 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. Lowering my gun, I turned around and noticed two VC sitting in the doorway of the hut, staring at me. Carrying a dead man some 300 yards through thick jungle in 100-degree heat was extraordinarily difficult. So do us all a favor and please learn to be tolerant, intelligent, and active. I was still pondering the move to 4th Platoon when U.S. Air Force jets screamed over the treetops with canisters of napalm. 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. !We dont abuse prisoners Now, if he reaches for his weapon to continue the fight BLOW HIS ASS AWAY THIS AINT SUNDAY SCHOOL!!! Assigned to HHC 1/77 Armor, 1st, BDE 5th Inf. Not long after the artillery barrage ended, the North Vietnamese swept through 4th Platoon and executed some of the survivors. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. Different jobs have different life expectancy. Hey Robert I was with the 38th Scout Dog Plt. It was just part of the job. TONY DISAGREED> hE SAID TAKE A 19 YEAR OLD, WHO HAS JUST TAKEN TWO ROUNDS TO HIS BODY, And IS watching his best friend die from multiple, bleeding wounds he wont give a shit about the Geneva Convention. maybe your question i vauge. . 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). I for one commend you for your courage and thank you for your service to your country. Army Infantrymen (11B) are the main land combat force, and known as "Eleven Bravo.". 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. V. Victor Renza was sent home after he was wounded on May 18, 1967. 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. I carried the PRC-25 Radio most of that time. 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). Contents1 [] 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. Stop staring at your computer already, get up. Anxiously extending the bipod legs on the M60, I added a 100-round belt to the one I already had in the gun. July 68 to July 69. I flew Dustoff and our unit did not have M60s for protection, nor did any other Dustoff unit that Im aware of.