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. Enemy fire greeted as us as soon as we landed near the village. An infantry platoon commander in combat had an average of 6 weeks life expectancy. He then said that they were generally on patrol moving through their area, both attacking and being attacked depending if the VC knew their location. I never thought of it that way before but have many times since. 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. In the few firefights and skirmishes we had with local VC, the gun always performed well. The earliest casualty record contains a date of death of . The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. 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. However, Shermans were very outmatched by the German tanks on the field of battle. _____ 1. 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. I was in 2nd Platoon and carried the platoons No. We had one RTO killed because he was too close to a 2ND Lt, same thing happened to another RTO. Foot soldiers went by the grace of God, but had a better chance than the infantry platoon commander in combat. "The Rangers pulled themselves over the top," President Ronald Reagan said of the men, in 1984. We had 5 kias and roughly 50 wounded in our company so about one in three got hit. From a military standpoint, it was almost an unprecedented performance. I lost my cherry very early. 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. 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! Ron. means: 1 gets killed the 1st second, another one after 9 seconds avg. 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. Some unfortunately also came home with physical scars. 99% of infantry men will currently live to die of natural causes. 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 wasnt aware that they kept life expectancy statistics. Theres 58,276. 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. They were great patriots fighting for their families and their homeland. If my memory is correct, only the 1st Cab flew wiith doorgunners. I will always think/say, we had absolutely no reason for being in that place. (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. 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 then took all Trucks and equipment to the Port Of Saigon. As we were, steadily building up, our area for protection. 87% of Americans hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. I never saw any correlation as to what MOS a soldier was and their survival rate. One was holding a carbine. 1 Gun had registered its first kill. It was always quick/quick, load the bodies in and get the hell out. Sholly injured an ankle, and 1st Lt. Cary Allen took command of Company B. It may not have worked for some other wars, but they were pretty helpful. 1 Gun. I had an assistant gunner, Spc. The average age of the 58,148 US Servicemembers killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years (CACF) Going backwards (Apr. Bob Sanzone. There were also wounded. 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. Your article was quite interesting. Carrying a dead man some 300 yards through thick jungle in 100-degree heat was extraordinarily difficult. 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. What is the life expectancy of Vietnam veterans? Does this mean addressing to a crowd? Point, slack and compass. July 68 to July 69. Lived too tell about it. Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21 years old. It was just part of the job. Also, it would mean the killed RTOs died within seconds of the fight (it doesnt distinguish between ambush or regular fight, eg. That means you lose five RTOs in 5 seconds. Sorry,I was one of your Brothers in Arms that helped talk you out of enlisting for another year in Vietnam. 1st Cav, 101st, etc. Hack received the Purple Heart for major combat injuries, and spent the rest of his military career as a recruiter for the US Army in Akron, Ohio. Thank You Roger!!! 79% had a high school education or better. However, it was the discretion of the individual crewmen if they wanted to carry personal weapons or not. 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. The machine guns were numbered within each platoon. What Was It Like To Hump The Boonies in Vietnam? Thank You for your courageous service as an RTO with the legendary Hawk Recon Platoon. It is Honor in the Valley of Tears. I watched in horror as four NVA soldiers ambled through the branches of a downed tree that partially concealed us. I was told my life expectancy was about 45 secs during a fire fight because of the weapons and demo I carried. hmK#1+yNvA 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). Vietnam War soldiers endured many hardships and faced many problems. We were like sitting Ducks. See my calculation below in the comments bogus indeed. He retired in 2012 and lives in Delray Beach, Florida. 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. Joe DeLong joined the company, and Sholly informed me that he would be the M60 gunner. Roger Loves you too, Im sure. Deltoid muscle _____ 2. 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. 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. Hey Robert I was with the 38th Scout Dog Plt. 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. 1 Gun and I survived our first firefight. 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. 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. A "Sapper" is a combat engineer soldier who is with the front line infantry troops. I would carry when on ambush. 1 Gun kept a lot of enemy heads down. Proudly holding my M60 over my head, I screamed at the top of my lungs, No. This was another example in the Vietnam War of an inaccuracy becoming the perceived truth. Tony told me that either he or I would greet all incoming troops and we did- and here is the speech we gave to them. 4 Paul Domke, who carried extra belts of ammo and fed them into the gun. At age 55, World War 2 Veterans I was lucky too but VN never left me. Welcome home brothers and sisters. Me, a vehicle mechanic with Btry E, 41st Arty Quads 1970. The man listed as missing was machine gunner Joe DeLong, captured along with No. 10-4. Calculate the pH of a solution of 0.157 M pyridine. Point was the safest place to be,they knew to wait for key elements, RTO, Medica, M60 Gunners. 4 Bill May and Spc. As far as I knew that was done in the whole battalion in 1968 . I couldnt disagree. Shermans had fairly thin armor (76mm at the thickest compared to a Tiger with 180mm at the thickest with most around 100mm). I DISAGREETHE ENEMY WOULD SHOOT THE GUY NEXT TO THE RTO-KNOWING HE WAS THE COMMANDER. Staying alive was kinda of important. This is not Vietnam where a machine gunner's life expectancy was short because you had an entire army shooting at them. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? The dead were placed on ponchos. I agree with all of the comments, however I would add Tunnel Rats to the group I was one and saw many of my friends die in those tunnels I was very fortunate or very lucky and was never a lead but was at the tail end. The Bn & Company I was assigned to, was on the last row of Bldgs. Your Dad and I had the same job. I got shot on a mission with 45 days left. The answer that we have always been given is that 1 year in the Infantry is equivalent to 3 years of hard labor. is sharing facts, thats truly good, keep up writing. An Rtos job was essential, tough,(Carrying the extra weight of the radio transmitter along with his rucksack), and dangerous. The CACF is the basis for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall): Average age of 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years. Were talking averages, obviously so, an RTO, with an expectancy of 5 seconds (!) After that initial post-service period, Vietnam veterans were no more likely to die from suicide than non-Vietnam veterans. The average life expectancy of a front-line soldier in eastern Ukraine is four hours, a Marine said. My good friend who was a RTO was killed. Some Brothers said why spend another year in this hellhole???? The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. 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. The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. Great information. The income differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14, however, are estimated to be smaller. Fighters and planes dont make up the Army, thats the Air Force. 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. The group found the first man killed and carried him up the hill, placing his body right next to me. His comparison to a FB was that if we were fired on we returned fire and requested assistance when needed. THE MAN I INHERITED THE GUN FROM WASNT SO LUCKY. Rules may have changed, I was in the Delta region. If the NVA shot at the group retrieving the bodies, I was to fire over the heads of the grunts and engage the enemy. The next morning, the blasting could still be, heard. 2 Gun team, Ranallo and May, without any support. Then the tempo changed suddenly and violently. Or is it on display in a Hanoi museum so curious citizens of that city can inspect a weapon captured from American imperialists? The casualty rate in the current war today is a fraction. 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. On the morning of March 22, 1967, companies A and B of my battalion began a search-and-destroy operation along the Cambodian border. This is excellent! Much smaller income differentials in life expectancy, 0.2 to 3.6 life-years smaller for Veterans in 2010-17 are estimated. It was an HONOR and a privilege to serve with these brave men for my 11 month tour. Interesting reading. Knowing I had a 100-round belt in my M60, I opened up on that hillside, my gun getting so hot that the barrel smoked. As it was, less than 40 did not need evacuation. Explore the Life of a U.S. Infantryman in Vietnam. 1 Gun and I now faced a new and more formidable foethe North Vietnamese Army. That same day, I along with 3/4 others was transported to Long Bhin Post. 76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds. There must have been a real mathematician to come up with those calculations. African Americans played a prominent role in the Vietnam War. Like most inexperienced gunners, he underestimated the power of the pig and failed to keep the barrel down when firing. %%EOF
I was wasting ammo and didnt even have a target! I spent 10 1/2 months in the jungles of Vietnam. To cut the Ho Chi Minh Traila week after the mission endedthe trail was booming with business from the north.. %PDF-1.5
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. Was No. US Wings is a veteran-owned business and an official supplier to the US Military. Army Infantrymen (11B) are the main land combat force, and known as "Eleven Bravo.". Comments were more interesting than the article it self. I was told to show the new guy how to use it properly. Contents 1 Unclear objectives 2 North Vietnamese strategy I told by RTO that i could carry my own radio, When he agreed he was humping ammo. Together we had passed the test. By the time we reached Vietnam in October 1966 I felt the gun had become a part of me. 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. 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 TOTAL number of CIB and CMB awarded would give you the answer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 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. I was never formally trained as an RTO. 85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life. I worried about that kind of leadership style in the highlands. 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. 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? Welcome home!! They were also in a circular formation. 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.) Sometimes on Family Guy when there about to take someones heart out they say, calimar or maybe its spelled different. happened. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. 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. . He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star in 1974. U.S. Wings is a manufacturer and a supplier. 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. ), special forces, combat support, engineering, medics, and vehicle assault weapons. 1 Gun. Ed, I was in a Grunt Platoon in Vietnam 70-71. In total, the 7th Infantry spent four years in Vietnam. Often as not he was right beside you with a stolen chicken and a bag of rice. B)Enter the the Ksp expression forC2D3 in terms of the molar solubility x. Jimmy aaja -M.I.A. Bravo, 3/187th Inf, 101st Airborne Div, 2nd Plt, 2nd Sq, Hamburger Hill, May 69. How old are Vietnam vets now? I picked up my M60 and walked to the center of the perimeter, where I found the company commander, Capt. I was over there twice serving as a Hospital Corpsman with a marine unit. And I know what youre going to say, Because the American cs! Bullcrap!!!! Id love to see the casualties listed by Corps ? For example: 7*x^2. We were probably not too far away on that day. 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 . Dont know why, but generally, their aircraft were not armed (door gunners, etc.). 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. 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 . Saw from mostly safe distance almost all the weapons systems that where there used. The man with the carbine immediately dropped it, and the two VC surrendered. And yes, please God, bless America. 4314 0 obj
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Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. The Davis Station in Saigon was named for him. We were discussing the different units and dangers of each. Cruz quite a lot. I personally carried 300 rounds of ammo at all times, one belt in the gun and two across my chest. All of the next day, we could see SMOKE from the fire caused by the explosions of the AMMO at, the AMMO DUMP. Answer (1 of 12): It heavily depends. At Fort Lewis, every recruit learned to operate various weapons. 4322 0 obj
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Veteran Owned Since 1986. Very interesting I carried theM 60 for 5 months that gun would cut down anything. I spent my year in Vietnam with the 1/22nd infantry part of the 4th division. Four platoons in a rifle company. Your email address will not be published. Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division. Its not all written down. The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. Not long after the artillery barrage ended, the North Vietnamese swept through 4th Platoon and executed some of the survivors. "And in seizing the firm land at the . May they rest in peace. Suddenly I realized that my platoon sergeant was screaming at me to stop firing. This has been going on for about a week Every time I try to watch a video on Youtube from my laptop I get instantly redirected to "gslbeacon.ligit.com." 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. 4 Answers aaja Come. As we approached the battle, we heard intense firing. So I guess I defied the odds. All that other stuff about seconds and minutes were story tellers, embellishing things to impress some listeners back home. 2: role (MOS?). 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. The helicopter provided unprecedented mobility. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. My assistant gunner and my ammo bearer also carried 300 rounds each. Welcome Home Roger. 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. (many of the Soviet casualties were POWs, though). I also was 2/327 B company. If youre American (which you probably are), I could give a f***. Of the . 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. Rarely do we examine war through the unique bond between a man and his weaponin this case the M60 machine gun. Soon I could take the gun apart and put it back together in the dark. 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. by Zita Ballinger Fletcher 1/18/2022. The Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of Americas commitment in Vietnam. 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. I had a 20% death rate in my Hospital Corpsman Class. We did interdictions, blocks and other fun things on the river. I am 81 now and survived the encounter by terminated the sniper. 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 4 Joey Piambino were to my right in the streambed. Ambulances are not supposed to be armed (either) though in training, medics are told they and their vehicles will be a prime target. 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. The jungle seemed to want No. I traveled to Fort Lewis, Washington, and trained there for 10 months before deploying to Vietnam as specialist 4. US Wings provides aviation apparel to the U.S. Government and commercial customers along with the general public. I was one of the many others I rode river boats in the Mekong Jan 68 to 69. 3 Answers C5H5N in water > C5H5NH+ & OH- Kb = [C5H5NH+] [OH-] / [C5H5N] 1.5e-9 = [x] 1. Your email address will not be published. Thats my experience. What unit lost the most soldiers in Vietnam? Three-fourths had family incomes above the poverty level; 50% were from middle income backgrounds. It means, IF (!) We could not see any enemy soldiers, but we could see smoke coming from their weapons through the trees. Soldiers also act in the mobilization of vehicles, weaponry, troops, and more. We were all in our Bunkers, and at the ready with our weapons. Naturally I was excited at the opportunity to join Sanzone, but at the same time I hated leaving 2nd Platoons No. Out of thousands of men that invaded that town in southern Afghanistan, we have lost 19. He was not the type to hump a radio. That was a hell of a responsibility to take on. Name the major nerves that serve the following body areas? We were about 700 yards east of Company A when it was ambushed by an NVA battalion. 2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam. We ambushed and got ambushed, firebase got attacked who carried what or did what had no bearing. His body was torn to pieces. The casualty rate in the current war today is a fraction. Two rounds smashed into a log inches above my head. 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). An NVA soldier had evidently spotted the gun and waited patiently for me to stick my head up. After a quick lesson, DeLong became the new owner of 4th Platoons No.1 Gun. This Battle changed his life and his future, had it not been for his actions, every man on this FSB Gold would have died. Good article. Express your answer in terms of x. They used the callsign MEDIVAC and were armed. Soldier,this is a wardont forget that, and anytime we are in a fight we will be toughest SOBs in the fight!! Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. Umm..maybe its because we also learn from experience. 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. Spanish Help The Tet Offensive succeeded on only one front and that was the News front and the political arena. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times.