I loved it. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the VietnamWar? 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. What unit lost the most soldiers in Vietnam? The average age of the men killed: 23.1 years. 76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds. Your Dad and I had the same job. a RTO got killed, it happened within 5 seconds but not that always ALL RTOs got killed. Shermans had fairly thin armor (76mm at the thickest compared to a Tiger with 180mm at the thickest with most around 100mm). Contents1 [] I was already lugging around a 24-pound weapon, 300 rounds of ammo and a pack that weighed a good 45 pounds. Interesting reading. What was the life expectancy of a point man in Vietnam? THE MAN I INHERITED THE GUN FROM WASNT SO LUCKY. As we approached the battle, we heard intense firing. I packed my own radio and got a Thank you from his Mom. hbbd```b`` ,&Iw sA '#o 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. We did interdictions, blocks and other fun things on the river. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The group found the first man killed and carried him up the hill, placing his body right next to me. When I popped back up to put out some automatic fire, a bullet whizzed by my earno more than an inch from my headand slammed into the tree next to me, shattering the bark. The key may be the word initial since we became more savvy with successive combats and had improved survivability. "The Cotton Balers, damn fine Soldiers." The Battalion returned to Fort Benning on October 11, 1970 and was inactivated. Me, a vehicle mechanic with Btry E, 41st Arty Quads 1970. Both were infantry in WW2. The smell of those charred bodies, blackened and smoking from the napalm strike, is something I can never forget. For his actions, he was awarded the Congressional Medal if Honor. I do remember when I got short I thought about it a lot more. Our home base was Quang Tri fire Base, But I spent about 6 months out at Mai Loc with the rig. First thing we did was, Set up a complete circular perimeter. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. Rules may have changed, I was in the Delta region. He decided to stay even though he had a deep feeling he wasnt going to make it. I met a Marine a few years ago who was stationed North of Da Nang. They were also in a circular formation. Anyway I was wondering about the RTOs in a grunt platoon, was that their MOS or were they 11B that carried a PRC ? I always was told that the life expectancy of a LT was 14 seconds in INITIAL combat versus 9 seconds for an RTO. I was an O5C-20 in Vietnam. Our chase after the enemy unwittingly led us into a large ambush. It was an HONOR and a privilege to serve with these brave men for my 11 month tour. Do the math. In my tour everyone had the same chance of getting shot. Fact: No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. My good friend who was a RTO was killed. Dont know why, but generally, their aircraft were not armed (door gunners, etc.). No combat assignments for another year of service in Vietnam or get out in about a month. 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. I was over there twice serving as a Hospital Corpsman with a marine unit. I pumped 200 rounds into that riverbank. The blasts from the AMMO, really lit up the whole area. The three of us had trained together at Fort Lewis and were good friends. Life Expectancy of the World Population. May was eventually able to hand off 2nd Platoons No. After about 30 minutes, the four enemy soldiers got up and left the area. Company B arrived in-country with four rifle platoons, and each platoon was armed with two M60s. A dense mass of elephant grass hung over the riverbank, and he ducked under it. After that initial post-service period, Vietnam veterans were no more likely to die from suicide than non-Vietnam veterans. Just to show that its hard to get an accurate number, note my typo of 56,220. Umm..maybe its because we also learn from experience. Take out the power center, youve got the edge. 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. 1 Gun, as always, thumped out a throaty roar as I fought desperately to push the enemy back. They were well-armed, well-trained and knew how to fight. Lowering my gun, I turned around and noticed two VC sitting in the doorway of the hut, staring at me. Point, slack and compass. If my memory is correct, only the 1st Cab flew wiith doorgunners. 85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life. 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. Hey Robert I was with the 38th Scout Dog Plt. The machine guns were numbered within each platoon. We killed a lot of the enemy but we took few serious casualties. Bravo, 3/187th Inf, 101st Airborne Div, 2nd Plt, 2nd Sq, Hamburger Hill, May 69. Date: March 8, 2020 Author: pdoggbiker 97 Comments Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. 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. There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and non-Vietnam Veterans of the same age group (Source: Veterans Administration Study). It was on the Job Training ! Flipping the safety off, I scanned the jungle in front of me. US Wings is a veteran-owned business and an official supplier to the US Military. The fall of Saigon happened 30 April 1975, two years AFTER the American military left Vietnam. Half of the company hopped off the Huey on one side of the river, and the rest exited on the other side. See also: Population I've never heard about the life expectancy of 6 weeks (even with a short google search). 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. Prayers for all. I couldnt see DeLong and didnt know if No. I traveled to Fort Lewis, Washington, and trained there for 10 months before deploying to Vietnam as specialist 4. (Getty Images) Most war stories are about soldiers and battles. 74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome. Your email address will not be published. He was killed in an ambush along with three others. Ordered to reinforce the unit, the Company B commander put our four platoons abreast of each other, and we marched west. Screaming Eagles! 1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August, 1995 (census figures). Completa las oraciones con la forma correcta del presente de subjuntivo de los verbos entre parntesis.? We took fire all the time and responded. A much better approach would be/have been: of all the combat-casualties, what was their I am 16 years old an 150 pounds qith some good muscle. 1 Gun and I survived our first firefight. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. BUT WE MUST ALSO BE COGNIZANT OF OUR REQUIREMENT TO BE COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEINGS. First Sgt. It means, IF (!) Still, militarily, the Tet Offensive was a total defeat of the Communist forces on all fronts. I never saw any correlation as to what MOS a soldier was and their survival rate. 1st Cav, 101st, etc. They used the callsign MEDIVAC and were armed. I knew some of this, but certainly not all. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. At that time, an infantry company consisted of about 150 men. KICK ASS AS NEEDED!!! 2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam. 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. Lt lost a finger, same time. Although we do tend to bomb a lot, thats only half of what we do. 2023 CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website, RTO, John Scheur. We looked for cover and returned fire the best we could. I also was 2/327 B company. In 1973, Renza opened his own salon in Peekskill. Originally I went to the 543d TC. Soldier,this is a wardont forget that, and anytime we are in a fight we will be toughest SOBs in the fight!! 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. Never knew they had life expectancy stats. I was an Infantry Scout Dog handler. 99% of infantry men will currently live to die of natural causes. Thats what I figured but didnt know for sure. 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. Ed, I was in a Grunt Platoon in Vietnam 70-71. The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9. 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 We could not see any enemy soldiers, but we could see smoke coming from their weapons through the trees. The other group of aeromedical evacuation were divisional, i.e. Arthur Parker and Spc. Combatants on both sides faced physical challenges posed by the climate, terrain and wildlife of the country. The Vietnam War was the turning point for Communism. Overrun and utterly destroyed, the 30-man 4th Platoon had suffered 21 killed and one missing. The battalion was sending us to a village with a small river running through it. 1 Gun used to kill Americans? It was just north of Saigon. 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. Thanks for posting! My dog and I walked point my whole tour in Vietnam. He pulled the company into a perimeter and dispatched 4th Platoon to recon the trail to the west, while 1st Platoon performed a similar mission to the east-southeast. (and yes, you cant ask them, so it would have to be derived from the AA-reports and survivors). Fact: The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. Eventually I found a spot where the bed leveled off and began firing on the NVA. Sure but so was everyone else who went 12 months without getting killed or wounded. As I remember it the life expectancy was based on after the ambush was sprung or the fire fight started. Total fantasy. I was constantly untangling the barrel and bipod of the gun from grasping vines and branches. 2) by my research, medics suffered 93% casualties with about 33% deaths. As I made my way to the river, I saw a VC guerrilla jump into the water on the other side. No. There were two different groups that flew aeromedical evacuations. I was with HHC and 1st Platoon C Company in 70-71. Spanish Help Love you Wortman!!!! I never even got a shot off. 1 Gun. Diaphragm _____ 3. If you would like to get a copy, and cant find it, let me know, and I will make sure you get one. Company B had seven dead, Grandstaff announced, and I was to take No. Remember he wanted to reenlist for one more year in Vietnam. Change). 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. I would carry when on ambush. Es ridculo que t ______ (tener) un resfriado en verano. The life expectancy of a radio operator in the Vietnam War ranged between five to six seconds all the way up to a slightly-more-optimistic thirty seconds, depending on your source. When we reached Company A, we placed our dead in the center of the two-company perimeter. Very interesting I carried theM 60 for 5 months that gun would cut down anything. I was wounded 3 times during the 10 1/2 months I was in-country before being medevacd out in Apr of 68. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. The earliest casualty record contains a date of death of . 11 c mos , meaning I was also cross trained for mortars . Wortman, another RTO never made it back to The World. As soon as he did, a round hit him in the forehead, blowing out the back of his skull. Good article. Here is an 18 4329 0 obj <>stream 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 . 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. We do have infantry (why do you think we have that MOS? Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. We went out typically in two boat patrols one lead one cover . This is excellent! Some were constantly exposed to combat, some not so often. Hi, the whole thing is going nicely here and ofcourse every one %%EOF 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. Robert Sholly, standing with Platoon Sgt. All of the next day, we could see SMOKE from the fire caused by the explosions of the AMMO at, the AMMO DUMP. He said fighting was especially deadly in the war-torn city of Bakhmut, dubbed "the meat . Lived too tell about it. Sometimes on Family Guy when there about to take someones heart out they say, calimar or maybe its spelled different. 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. Nothing could be further from the truth. Men and women die everyday. On the morning of March 22, 1967, companies A and B of my battalion began a search-and-destroy operation along the Cambodian border. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. Soon after, Pfc. 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. The casualty rate in the current war today is a fraction. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_losses_of My heart was pounding out of my chest. 5 seconds. I am 81 now and survived the encounter by terminated the sniper. That was supposed to be 58, 220. but wait, there are more numbers for the same story. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand stayed free of Communism because of the U.S. commitment to Vietnam. Ron. 11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old. Nobody attacked, where we were. 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. Cruz quite a lot. As far as I knew that was done in the whole battalion in 1968 . 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 Of the eight who remained, seven were wounded. Then the tempo changed suddenly and violently. This is not Vietnam where a machine gunners life expectancy was short because you had an entire army shooting at them. I was trained as a RTO in 1970 at Fort Ord then went to Fort Gordon for teletype school, my MOS was 05C20 when I finished. Mech. Was I lucky ? I was told to show the new guy how to use it properly. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Was No. They kept coming up the hill bringing more bodies to me until all seven had been found. In my humble opiniona maneven leaders should often recalculate their adversaries capabilities and limitations and his own limitations as wellwhen 10,000 miles from home against a determined worthy foein a strange landThe objective of Lam Son 719? well i have been army infantry for 12 years with 2 deployments, and still going strong. I credit my longetivity to great training at Ft Benning. And dug Berms, in the area. I applaud the courage and difficult and all so dangerous job of Roger Herforth when he served as an RTO for the Hawk Recon Platoon of the 101st airborne division in Vietnam.. 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. Really? Does this mean addressing to a crowd? I felt the same way jumping off the chopper with my m-60, 300. rounds of ammo,grenades,sandbags and six canteens of water. Sgt. . Also, it would mean the killed RTOs died within seconds of the fight (it doesnt distinguish between ambush or regular fight, eg. estimated education differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14 are close to those of U. S. population in 1979-89. My second tour was as the S3 for LTC Anthony Herbertone of Americas greatest leaders and WARRIORS OF ALL TIME. 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. Their personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. Then we all, loaded on C-147 cargo planes. In an instant the jungle erupted in gunfire. As a result, less than one percent of all Americans wounded, who survived the first 24 hours, died. In Vietnam 70% 0f the casualties were Infantry BUT it might be 70% of ALL the Infantry that served in Vietnam. The early days of May 1970, I arrived at the Airport, next to Saigon. They were great patriots fighting for their families and their homeland. However, it was the discretion of the individual crewmen if they wanted to carry personal weapons or not. Sholly finally agreed and stated that the next time we received replacements I could give one of them my M60. So do us all a favor and please learn to be tolerant, intelligent, and active. We were expecting, an attack. He retired in 2012 and lives in Delray Beach, Florida. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. 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. As we were, steadily building up, our area for protection. Ever since that fateful day in 1967, I have often wondered what became of my beloved M60. Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division For some reason, the written word of this article was somehow deleted and lost. The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. I was on a radar crew and we were told that, during war time, we would most likely be killed within minutes. During that same Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served was: 9,492,958. An NVA soldier had evidently spotted the gun and waited patiently for me to stick my head up. I remember we were always short of replacements throughout 1968 because of the high Kia & wounded rate we suffered at that time ! 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. Five RTOs. Our battalion operated at a base camp near Tuy Hoa in Phu Yen province along the South China Sea from October 1966 to January 1967. There were usually 3 man (At least 2) point teams. My shit got weak and a sniper popped three rounds in my young ass. (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. It was very nearly my last. .. 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. %PDF-1.5 % Both my tours were in the Delta (IV Corps) where the only ground troops were regular ARVNs and RUFF/PUFFS. Had multiple Ks and Ws. No. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. Everyone in the company hit the dirt. I watched in horror as four NVA soldiers ambled through the branches of a downed tree that partially concealed us. 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. I saw aircraft loaded with troops explode in mid-air. The 4th Platoon survivors stayed put for the night. I spent my year in Vietnam with the 1/22nd infantry part of the 4th division. Life expectancy at birth. We observed the rules of the Geneva Convention while the bad guys had no interest in doing so. 4 Bill May and Spc. Isolated atrocities committed by American Soldiers produced torrents of outrage from anti-war critics and the news media while Communist atrocities were so common that they received hardly any media mention at all. I was a helicopter pilot 5 Answers There is no word like addressal. It was a chaotic nightmare. The Australian Vietnam veteran study assessed the postservice mortality of 19 205 Vietnam veterans and 25 677 non-Vietnam veterans through 1981. Fact: The domino theory was accurate. They also struggled with logistical problems and the complex political situation in Vietnam. means: 1 gets killed the 1st second, another one after 9 seconds avg. The man listed as missing was machine gunner Joe DeLong, captured along with No. This is not Vietnam where a machine gunner's life expectancy was short because you had an entire army shooting at them. https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. Welcome Home Roger. 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 was an Artillery Forward Observer 13F20 E-5 at that time. 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. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star in 1974. In total, the 7th Infantry spent four years in Vietnam. At age 55, World War 2 Veterans The last American troops departed in their entirety 29 March 1973. I will always think/say, we had absolutely no reason for being in that place. But it was my jobso I tried not to think about it much. where can i find red bird vienna sausage? He was wounded and suffered permanent disability shortly before his tour was up. I always felt that Infantry units were in more danger because of ambush issues and no permanent defensive structures. We used to provide cover for these guys. hmK#1+yNvA HOOAH!!! 1 Gun more than I did. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. 1st Platoon, C Company, 2nd Battalion 327th Infantry. Amazingly, the NVA men then walked a short distance away, sat down and ate lunch. An infantry platoon commander in combat had an average of 6 weeks life expectancy. Posterior Thigh _____ 4. Some Brothers said why spend another year in this hellhole???? That was a hell of a responsibility to take on. It was a daily challenge to know who your real enemy was. I was a 2nd Lt. Infantry platoon Leader. A documentary about our company and our 1st Sgt was made. He said when they were ambushed they took defensive positions, returned fire, called for assistance when needed, and retreated when necessary. One was holding a carbine. Its just (bad) luck, fate, randomness theres no right or wrong, no justice or fairness, no reasoning. We were discussing the different units and dangers of each. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action). The man with the carbine immediately dropped it, and the two VC surrendered. Foot soldiers went by the grace of God, but had a better chance than the infantry platoon commander in combat. The Davis Station in Saigon was named for him. 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.