My shit got weak and a sniper popped three rounds in my young ass. If youre American (which you probably are), I could give a f***. Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison only one-half of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes. Answer (1 of 12): It heavily depends. It was an HONOR and a privilege to serve with these brave men for my 11 month tour. Explore the Life of a U.S. Infantryman in Vietnam. Walked point way to many times but never had contact. There were almost twice as many casualties in Southeast Asia (primarily Cambodia) the first two years, after the fall of Saigon in 1975, than there were during the ten years the U.S. was involved in Vietnam. I assisted Vessey and Capt Cartwright by helping prepare the Bee Hive Rounds (first time they were ever used), firing 4 rounds at proximity 0 range into a human wave attack on or weak side after 5 hours of relentless attacks on the opposite side of the perimeter Those 4 rounds killed @ 400 enemy soldiers, of the 881 total enemy losss John Vessey later became a 4 Star general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs appointed by Reagan 1983, and at retirement became Chair of the POW MIA Commission for 14 years, Passing away in August 2016 just 6 months before our 50th Reunion. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? 2023 CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website, RTO, John Scheur. As a Huey door gunner, when we left the ground on a mission, I always thought that this mission would be my last! I saw aircraft loaded with troops explode in mid-air. They were glad to see me as it had been a while for replacements with the unit. If my memory is correct, only the 1st Cab flew wiith doorgunners. Just published my book The Last Goodbye by John Fratangelo, available on line on Barnes and Noble and Amazon Prime Books, Getting great reviews. They were not randomly selected but simply the best at doing it. Seattle, Washington(WA), 98106. Prayers for all. 5 seconds. I remember hearing a Lieutenant (Kennedy) say to one of his two platoon RTOs My RTO is Foxtrot Uniform. We took fire all the time and responded. I was an O5C-20 in Vietnam. Got hit inside 15 minutes, first ambush we walked up too. Dap, Hope this helps. However, Shermans were very outmatched by the German tanks on the field of battle. The Vietnam War gave us trouble because we didnt know how to counteract against guerrilla warfare in a jungle (dont forget that the US Army was switching to M16s, which often jammed). I couldnt see DeLong and didnt know if No. 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 had been shot in the back early in the battle and was lying behind a log with two other soldiers. There were two different groups that flew aeromedical evacuations. Certainly got my attention. I had to rely on my gun more than before. I was with HHC and 1st Platoon C Company in 70-71. Each company had eight M60s. Both halves quickly swept toward the river to clear the village. The Davis Station in Saigon was named for him. Like most inexperienced gunners, he underestimated the power of the pig and failed to keep the barrel down when firing. They run into the fire to help the wounded and many get wounded or killed. There were no Americans involved in any capacity. Spent my year in a Recon platoon 2/35th 4th ID. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. Thank You General Vessey for the almost 53 years I have lived since that day. RIP KOOKIE forever young, Thank god you are still alive, I am age 77. US Wings provides aviation apparel to the U.S. Government and commercial customers along with the general public. 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 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. No. Fighters and planes dont make up the Army, thats the Air Force. The average age of the 58,148 US Servicemembers killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years (CACF) Going backwards (Apr. Shermans had fairly thin armor (76mm at the thickest compared to a Tiger with 180mm at the thickest with most around 100mm). As with much of the Vietnam War, the news media misreported and misinterpreted the 1968 Tet Offensive. Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. I worried about that kind of leadership style in the highlands. My bud, Price took over as RTO. The article was interesting. 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 It was an honor indeed to serve with some of the finest soldiers I have ever met. Soldier,this is a wardont forget that, and anytime we are in a fight we will be toughest SOBs in the fight!! At age 55, World War 2 Veterans Why is my internet redirecting to gslbeacon.ligit.com and how do I STOP THIS. Wortman, another RTO never made it back to The World. The income differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14, however, are estimated to be smaller. Carried the prc25 for about 7 months. Most of us have memories of these kind of experiences. Lowering my gun, I turned around and noticed two VC sitting in the doorway of the hut, staring at me. In Vietnam he cut the hair of everyone in his company for free. Carrying a dead man some 300 yards through thick jungle in 100-degree heat was extraordinarily difficult. He decided to stay even though he had a deep feeling he wasnt going to make it. His best friend is 86 and still alive. Our 5th night there, the AMMO area started burning / blowing up. He served as a sergeant with the Big Red One in Lai Khe, Vietnam. Very memorable comments. 1 Gun, as always, thumped out a throaty roar as I fought desperately to push the enemy back. Hurrying forward with No. means: 1 gets killed the 1st second, another one after 9 seconds avg. The next morning, the blasting could still be, heard. The dead were placed on ponchos. In January 1967, the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, was airlifted to Pleiku province in the Central Highlands. Rarely do we examine war through the unique bond between a man and his weaponin this case the . The peace settlement was signed in Paris on 27 January 1973. That same day, I along with 3/4 others was transported to Long Bhin Post. Id had a premonition, and asked the LT to let me trade off to become the AG. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. Thanks for posting! 2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam. If you would like to get a copy, and cant find it, let me know, and I will make sure you get one. In the few firefights and skirmishes we had with local VC, the gun always performed well. Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old. The jungle seemed to want No. The early days of May 1970, I arrived at the Airport, next to Saigon. Although we do tend to bomb a lot, thats only half of what we do. We were all in our Bunkers, and at the ready with our weapons. We were expecting, an attack. Bloody May 1968 Mini TET. Then the tempo changed suddenly and violently. I was constantly untangling the barrel and bipod of the gun from grasping vines and branches. This is not Vietnam where a machine gunners life expectancy was short because you had an entire army shooting at them. 85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the VietnamWar? 4329 0 obj
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For some reason, the written word of this article was somehow deleted and lost. Great information. We looked for cover and returned fire the best we could. Was Billeted near an Army medevac Unit and was offered a chance to lay on my stomach with an M16 and door gun for them I decided not a good Idea. A documentary about our company and our 1st Sgt was made. I knew some of this, but certainly not all. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. It was more or less next man up . Soon after, Pfc. I was a medic on one for two yrs and the only weapon I was issue was a six-shot .38. Nothing could be further from the truth. Before he was drafted Renza had worked as a hairdresser for women in his hometown of Peekskill, New York. It was the silent power of the pig, I suppose. If anything went wrong, I could easily kill some of our soldiers. DeLong was later killed attempting to escape from a North Vietnamese prisoner of war camp in Cambodia. I do remember when I got short I thought about it a lot more. Also: for years I have read those life-expectancy numbers never really understanding them, but also noting that they wildly vary. Amen I was a machine gunner for 7 months 503rd infantry 173rd airborne and you hit the nail right on the head. Despite initial victories by the Communists forces, the Tet Offensive resulted in a major defeat of those forces. 10-4. B)Enter the the Ksp expression forC2D3 in terms of the molar solubility x. Jimmy aaja -M.I.A. 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. In Vietnam 70% 0f the casualties were Infantry BUT it might be 70% of ALL the Infantry that served in Vietnam. Nobody attacked, where we were. 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. Your email address will not be published. Im laying behind a rice paddie dike.I put my whole body as far down in the muck while the bullets were over my head. Vietnam War the helicopters that came in to transport soldiers were the hardest hit with mass casualties . 4322 0 obj
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No trees or anything on the ground. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. Over 600 Navy FMF Hospital Corpsmen were killed in Vietnam. Hats off to them. 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. wias. I always found life expectancy numbers interesting in that I could never find any supporting information that could be validated. Once we turned on the radar they could hit us with a harm missile. Suddenly I realized that my platoon sergeant was screaming at me to stop firing. As it was, less than 40 did not need evacuation. The machine gun was also mounted in the UH-1 Huey helicopter and other Army aircraft. I think the number of Army and Hospital Corpsmen serving with the Marine Corp was very high, with the ratio of the number of them over there. 1 gun and was hoping it would stay that way. 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. A dense mass of elephant grass hung over the riverbank, and he ducked under it. As mentioned, who kept track of that in the first place? Express your answer in terms of x. 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. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. To an, open area. The TOTAL number of CIB and CMB awarded would give you the answer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Two of my closest friends in the company, Spc. 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). I spent my year in Vietnam with the 1/22nd infantry part of the 4th division. 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. Cause-specific . 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. 82nd 2/505th. I met a Marine a few years ago who was stationed North of Da Nang. 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. In my tour everyone had the same chance of getting shot. I watched in horror as four NVA soldiers ambled through the branches of a downed tree that partially concealed us. I was a helicopter pilot Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. To cut the Ho Chi Minh Traila week after the mission endedthe trail was booming with business from the north.. I DISAGREETHE ENEMY WOULD SHOOT THE GUY NEXT TO THE RTO-KNOWING HE WAS THE COMMANDER. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phucs brothers were killed in this incident. My second tour was as the S3 for LTC Anthony Herbertone of Americas greatest leaders and WARRIORS OF ALL TIME. 1: physical position (in the field / column) Quickly learned to control rate of fire. Well he didnt make it. hb```8fB cBLd2>Tb jz1@E; aK6Tmc.Nn"&gn7hj'wm,h d6p4u0`&88:,TMV&
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First Sgt. They were located, next to us, in/on Long Bhin Post. 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.
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