life expectancy of an infantry soldier in vietnam

Dap, Hope this helps. means: 1 gets killed the 1st second, another one after 9 seconds avg. An NVA soldier had evidently spotted the gun and waited patiently for me to stick my head up. 1 gun and was hoping it would stay that way. The blasts from the AMMO, really lit up the whole area. If youre American (which you probably are), I could give a f***. 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. Thats why I never understand people talking about survivors guilt it should have been me, why him? etc. When Roeski got hit, I took over the M-60. We were about 700 yards east of Company A when it was ambushed by an NVA battalion. Without that commitment, Communism would have swept all the way to the Malacca Straits that is south of Singapore and of great strategic importance to the free world. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. 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. Certainly got my attention. On the morning of March 22, 1967, companies A and B of my battalion began a search-and-destroy operation along the Cambodian border. Sorry,I was one of your Brothers in Arms that helped talk you out of enlisting for another year in Vietnam. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action). 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. Data based on the latest United Nations Population Division estimates. The fall of Saigon happened 30 April 1975, two years AFTER the American military left Vietnam. Unable to reach Company A, my company pulled back, formed a perimeter and called in air and artillery support. Some gave all. Forget the statistics, we all had a job to do, we went where we were told. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Statistics in the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF 11/93) show an average age of death much higher than that of news reports. 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). I flew Dustoff and our unit did not have M60s for protection, nor did any other Dustoff unit that Im aware of. Dont know why, but generally, their aircraft were not armed (door gunners, etc.). 4 Answers aaja Come. 1ST MAW 66-68. The article was interesting. This makes calculations of those alive, even in 2017, difficult to maintain. They also had a 12 gauge, and a M 79 grenade launcher and M 16. 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. I loved it. From the Landing Zone, we were carried not too far. His comparison to a FB was that if we were fired on we returned fire and requested assistance when needed. rice farmer who was still working with is ox like nothing ever 74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome. On average US troops served 1-2 years in Vietnam, and the percentage of troops killed was actually fairly low for a war this size, 2.14% of all who served were killed, the life expectancy was roughly around 1 year, 5 months and 3 weeks (taking into account the 1-2 year difference in some troops's serving times) Sponsored by Primal Labs Some of my men didnt. 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? July 68 to July 69. Their personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. Nicknamed "the pig" due to its size, weight and sound, the gun struck fear into enemy troops. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). I was with HHC and 1st Platoon C Company in 70-71. So I guess i lasted longer than I was supposed to. "And in seizing the firm land at the . The first six or seven months I walked point for our platoon and led many ambushes and green eye patrols. Fact: The domino theory was accurate. He was killed in an ambush along with three others. Supported by a shoulder strap, No. Of the . 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. If anything went wrong, I could easily kill some of our soldiers. They kept coming up the hill bringing more bodies to me until all seven had been found. The U.S. Infantryman Vietnam Pocket Manual contains gems such as infantry "patrol tips," maneuver techniques, and fighting methods for various environments. 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. I had a 20% death rate in my Hospital Corpsman Class. For example: 7*x^2. The machine guns were numbered within each platoon. Thanks. Although we do tend to bomb a lot, thats only half of what we do. Wow I was 31.8 Gun shot Carried model 1200 Winchester shot gun WIA May 68 Article was great. Enemy fire greeted as us as soon as we landed near the village. US Wings is a veteran-owned business and an official supplier to the US Military. We had one RTO killed because he was too close to a 2ND Lt, same thing happened to another RTO. Over the next two months, we exchanged fire with groups of the NVA. They were a great bunch. That same day, I along with 3/4 others was transported to Long Bhin Post. I was already lugging around a 24-pound weapon, 300 rounds of ammo and a pack that weighed a good 45 pounds. Deltoid muscle _____ 2. 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. Lowering my gun, I turned around and noticed two VC sitting in the doorway of the hut, staring at me. An Hinglish word (Hindi/English). If you have other information let me know. Appx: 6 months in, all of the 543d TC joined forces with the 572d TC. We were discussing the different units and dangers of each. The average life expectancy of a Soviet soldier during the height of the battle was just 24 hours. Four platoons in a rifle company. S/F, There were no door gunners on dustoffs. Ambulances are not supposed to be armed (either) though in training, medics are told they and their vehicles will be a prime target. 4 Paul Domke, who carried extra belts of ammo and fed them into the gun. 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. 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. From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. Two points: 1) at least in Army units, Medevacs (dust offs) flew unarmed aircraft. 2) by my research, medics suffered 93% casualties with about 33% deaths. Umm..maybe its because we also learn from experience. One of them gazed in our direction, lowered his AK 47 assault rifle and fired six shots. Often as not he was right beside you with a stolen chicken and a bag of rice. I was a medic on one for two yrs and the only weapon I was issue was a six-shot .38. We used to provide cover for these guys. A soldier or Marine in Vietnam had a 98% chance of survival if he was evacuated within the first hour of being injured the best odds in the history of American warfare up to that time. 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. The incredibly important role in the U.S. Army is responsible for defending the country through real-life combat. 1 Gun. KICK ASS AS NEEDED!!! 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. V. Victor Renza was sent home after he was wounded on May 18, 1967. 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. Change). As we approached the battle, we heard intense firing. happened. Then one hot, sunny day, while walking across rice paddies, we suddenly received small-arms fire from Viet Cong in some distant hills. Or is it on display in a Hanoi museum so curious citizens of that city can inspect a weapon captured from American imperialists? Hurrying forward with No. 4314 0 obj <> endobj wmy:LsN{/^yzJ] 6.7>n-:FqOa#CW>ia?wt?Xa@ghCd bF)`Schl4*f. U.S. Wings is a manufacturer and a supplier. Had multiple Ks and Ws. A "Sapper" is a combat engineer soldier who is with the front line infantry troops. 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. RIP KOOKIE forever young, Thank god you are still alive, I am age 77. No. Now, to calmly answer your question, air strikes have actually been an efficient technique used by us for years now. Good article. %PDF-1.5 % Remember he wanted to reenlist for one more year in Vietnam. 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. First thing we did was, Set up a complete circular perimeter. I was wounded 3 times during the 10 1/2 months I was in-country before being medevacd out in Apr of 68. I may not have hit anyone that day, but I am certain that No. As I made it back to the road I remember seeing the Expenditures for a body in a combat zone? Not to mention that right now its safer than some cities in the us. LUCK pure LUCK. 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. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. The Australian Vietnam veteran study assessed the postservice mortality of 19 205 Vietnam veterans and 25 677 non-Vietnam veterans through 1981. However, Shermans were very outmatched by the German tanks on the field of battle. We all have opinions, this is mine. Fact: 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were other races. Learned a lot from him. I do remember when I got short I thought about it a lot more. Carried the prc25 for about 7 months. Different strokes for different folks in war fer sure. Needless too say I depended on Sgt. Love you Wortman!!!! If the enemy was near, we never saw any. 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. They used the callsign MEDIVAC and were armed. I know this is a standard cliche, but it is so true, All gave some. a RTO got killed, it happened within 5 seconds but not that always ALL RTOs got killed. 0 They were well-armed, well-trained and knew how to fight. 79% had a high school education or better. Cause-specific . I told by RTO that i could carry my own radio, When he agreed he was humping ammo. I always was told that the life expectancy of a LT was 14 seconds in INITIAL combat versus 9 seconds for an RTO. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Address: 9241 13th Ave SW 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. Information presented by SFC (Ret) David Hack. I knew some of this, but certainly not all. Then we learned, appx: 1 mile to our North was, an American AMMO storage area. I remember hearing a Lieutenant (Kennedy) say to one of his two platoon RTOs My RTO is Foxtrot Uniform. We could not see any enemy soldiers, but we could see smoke coming from their weapons through the trees. Fact: Servicemen who went to Vietnam from well-to-do areas had a slightly elevated risk of dying because they were more likely to be pilots or infantry officers. An interesting essay, even more interesting are the comments. They run into the fire to help the wounded and many get wounded or killed. This is not Vietnam where a machine gunner's life expectancy was short because you had an entire army shooting at them. The three of us had trained together at Fort Lewis and were good friends. Hey Robert I was with the 38th Scout Dog Plt. Together we had passed the test. THE MAN I INHERITED THE GUN FROM WASNT SO LUCKY. Company A searched in vain for the platoon in the dark and finally found the shattered unit on the morning of May 19. US Wings recently added to OTEXA's Made in U.S.A. This makes our site more accessible to the blind, visually impaired, motor disabled, people with cognitive disabilities and more. An infantry platoon commander in combat had an average of 6 weeks life expectancy. Your email address will not be published. No trees or anything on the ground. I for one commend you for your courage and thank you for your service to your country. Was I lucky ? More importantly, Grandstaff was very gung-ho. Ordered to reinforce the unit, the Company B commander put our four platoons abreast of each other, and we marched west. At Fort Lewis, every recruit learned to operate various weapons. I think convoy truck drivers had one of the most dangerous job. 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. Staying alive was kinda of important. I applaud your courage as I know an RTOs job is essential, difficult (carrying the weight of his radio transmitter, his rifle, his ammo, and his rucksack), and dangerous as the enemy surely wanted to knock out any communications for support. 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 . The man listed as missing was machine gunner Joe DeLong, captured along with No. Soon I could take the gun apart and put it back together in the dark. We wanted a break. 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!! The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9. 5 Answers There is no word like addressal. 101st Airborne Division. How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? Correct. I want to know what the life expectancy of a us infantry army soldier is. (and yes, you cant ask them, so it would have to be derived from the AA-reports and survivors). He was not the type to hump a radio. Our 5th night there, the AMMO area started burning / blowing up. Ron. I was constantly untangling the barrel and bipod of the gun from grasping vines and branches. Just to show that its hard to get an accurate number, note my typo of 56,220. I was a grunt with c co. 4/31 196th it inf bade. We (Americans) had nothing to do with controlling VNAF, according to Lieutenant General (Ret) James F. Hollingsworth, the Commanding General of TRAC at that time.

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