life expectancy of an infantry soldier in vietnam

I was a 2nd Lt. Infantry platoon Leader. Bruce Grandstaff and my best friend, Sgt. I couldnt see DeLong and didnt know if No. The battalion was sending us to a village with a small river running through it. 97% of Vietnam Veterans were honorably discharged. to the empployees was very informative. Express your answer in terms of x. Arthur Parker and Spc. I always was told that the life expectancy of a LT was 14 seconds in INITIAL combat versus 9 seconds for an RTO. We were discussing the different units and dangers of each. Calculate the pH of a solution of 0.157 M pyridine. Total fantasy. The three of us had trained together at Fort Lewis and were good friends. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. The oldest man killed was 62 years old. 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. Lived too tell about it. All that other stuff about seconds and minutes were story tellers, embellishing things to impress some listeners back home. .. Commanders like him were few and far between many were afraid of their own shadow and were only there to get their ticket punched. This Battle changed his life and his future, had it not been for his actions, every man on this FSB Gold would have died. US Wings provides aviation apparel to the U.S. Government and commercial customers along with the general public. Bob Sanzone. 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). An NVA soldier had evidently spotted the gun and waited patiently for me to stick my head up. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. As with much of the Vietnam War, the news media misreported and misinterpreted the 1968 Tet Offensive. To my right, Piambino had poked his head out of the trench to fire his M16 rifle. 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. I was to have that experience two more times before it was over. Cause-specific . hbbd```b`` ,&Iw sA '#o On Sun, Mar 8, 2020 at 4:00 PM CherriesWriter Vietnam War website wrote: > pdoggbiker posted: A friend recently sent me the link to an article > claiming that the life expectancy of a radio operator in the Vietnam War > was only 5 seconds. It was more or less next man up . rice farmer who was still working with is ox like nothing ever The Statistics in the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF 11/93) show an average age of death much higher than that of news reports. Stop staring at your computer already, get up. I watched in horror as four NVA soldiers ambled through the branches of a downed tree that partially concealed us. This is not Vietnam where a machine gunners life expectancy was short because you had an entire army shooting at them. estimated education differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14 are close to those of U. S. population in 1979-89. I've never heard about the life expectancy of 6 weeks (even with a short google search). I, in turn, would take an M16 rifle, which felt like a feather in comparison. of what was usually 5 or 6 going in and many times the leads would find traps, punji pits or the VC waiting. It had a crew of 4 (forward gunner, the coxswain (steering and driving) and the two aft gunners. The average age of the 58,148 US Servicemembers killed in Vietnam was . approaching a village and a firefight starts). General Vo Nguyen Giap, the designer of the Tet Offensive, is considered by some as ranking with Wellington, Grant, Lee and MacArthur as a great commander. Expenditures for a body in a combat zone? What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in battle on - Quora 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. (many of the Soviet casualties were POWs, though). My shit got weak and a sniper popped three rounds in my young ass. 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. Not to mention that right now its safer than some cities in the us. Together we had passed the test. In a strange country scared shitless .I was a minesweeper.My first time out on a mission they put me on the drag line fifty yards from the road which was route 1, Then all hell broke lose Supported by a shoulder strap, No. Contents1 [] then youd carry an extra 200 rounds of M60 ammo for the machine gunner , plus drag grenades , one smoke grenade plus etc. Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. Certainly got my attention. we were getting it with machine gun and mortars. I was an Artillery Forward Observer with the Infantry. Theres 58,276. 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. We had been carrying machine guns for over seven months. 1 Gun and I survived our first firefight. Thank You General Vessey for the almost 53 years I have lived since that day. My first tour was as an advisor to the VN Abn. I carried the PRC-25 Radio most of that time. 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. Please do not send samples. 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. The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1961. 4 Answers aaja Come. Two rounds smashed into a log inches above my head. The casualty rate in the current war today is a fraction. Thats my experience. I never understood why they didnt put M60s on Medevacs (once the VC shot them down) but then, we now know they never intended to win that war in the first place. located on the South End of, the Post. The group found the first man killed and carried him up the hill, placing his body right next to me. I had a 20% death rate in my Hospital Corpsman Class. 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. I was in 2nd Platoon and carried the platoons No. I was a grunt with c co. 4/31 196th it inf bade. If my memory is correct, only the 1st Cab flew wiith doorgunners. However, inaccurately reported, the News Media made the Tet Offensive famous. Now we know. Some very close calls but I am alive at age 74. Then he said youre on a FB, the enemy always knows your location, can pretty much attack at will, and you really dont have the capability to retreat. S/F, There were no door gunners on dustoffs. Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old. Hats off to them. Work Plz. Sorry,I was one of your Brothers in Arms that helped talk you out of enlisting for another year in Vietnam. When we reached Company A, we placed our dead in the center of the two-company perimeter. I think those numbers are percentages of US KIA, not mortality times. What was the average life expectancy for soldiers during Vietnam Thank God I made it. And I know what youre going to say, Because the American cs! Bullcrap!!!! They used the callsign MEDIVAC and were armed. %PDF-1.5 % Robert Sholly, standing with Platoon Sgt. 99% of infantry men will currently live to die of natural causes. Ive always considered myself damn lucky to make it out alive. May they rest in peace. Carrying a dead man some 300 yards through thick jungle in 100-degree heat was extraordinarily difficult. See also: Population Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action). 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. In the 1st Cav medics were right behind the rto making them a very easy find also. What is the life expectancy of an army infantry soldier? a RTO got killed, it happened within 5 seconds but not that always ALL RTOs got killed. (Getty Images) Most war stories are about soldiers and battles. Cluster F, SNAFU and FUBAR fer sur. 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. Both were infantry in WW2. Ambulances are not supposed to be armed (either) though in training, medics are told they and their vehicles will be a prime target. AS LEADERS IN AMERICAS SERVICES WE MUST BE PROFICIENT AND READY TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSIONS- 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. Sept 69 to Sept 70. 1 Gun more than I did. The incredibly important role in the U.S. Army is responsible for defending the country through real-life combat. Thats why I never understand people talking about survivors guilt it should have been me, why him? etc. How many soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam? - 2023 aND, mAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! Id love to see the casualties listed by Corps ? Found NVA bunker complex. 87% of Americans hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. I think convoy truck drivers had one of the most dangerous job. How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? 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. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? Your Dad and I had the same job. If the NVA shot at the group retrieving the bodies, I was to fire over the heads of the grunts and engage the enemy. 240 men were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War. The rolling fire burned everything to the ground and undoubtedly killed scores of NVA. News media have reported tha an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc.Those are incorrect. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture, was Vietnamese. 1 Gun, as always, thumped out a throaty roar as I fought desperately to push the enemy back. Take out the power center, youve got the edge. 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. I was an Artillery Forward Observer 13F20 E-5 at that time. See you in the next life!!!!! Lowering my gun, I turned around and noticed two VC sitting in the doorway of the hut, staring at me. Prayers for all. 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. In my tour everyone had the same chance of getting shot. This makes calculations of those alive, even in 2017, difficult to maintain. Learned a lot from him. That means you lose five RTOs in 5 seconds. Date: March 8, 2020 Author: pdoggbiker 97 Comments Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. I felt the same way jumping off the chopper with my m-60, 300. rounds of ammo,grenades,sandbags and six canteens of water. 1 Gun used to kill Americans? Vietnam War the helicopters that came in to transport soldiers were the hardest hit with mass casualties . Great reading. 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. I was an Infantry Scout Dog handler. Papitto Opportunity Connections Mission: The Papitto Opportunity Connection (POC) is a private foundation dedicated to listening and working together with Rhode Islands BIPOC communities to empower and create individual success stories by investing in education, job skills training, and entrepreneurial ventures. I remember we were always short of replacements throughout 1968 because of the high Kia & wounded rate we suffered at that time ! means: 1 gets killed the 1st second, another one after 9 seconds avg. The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. Enemy fire greeted as us as soon as we landed near the village. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. If you would like to get a copy, and cant find it, let me know, and I will make sure you get one. 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. Then we learned, appx: 1 mile to our North was, an American AMMO storage area. I lost my cherry very early. I was also told that the Radio did put a target on my back. 1st Cav, 101st, etc. 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. Yes, I made E4 at graduation, that was considered a NCO then. The last American troops departed in their entirety 29 March 1973. 1 Gun was on my hip with the safety off, ready to rock and roll. Out of thousands of men that invaded that town in southern Afghanistan, we have lost 19. No. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 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. endstream endobj startxref Spanish Help 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. hb```8fB cBLd2>Tb jz1@E; aK6Tmc.Nn"&gn7hj'wm,h d6p4u0`&88:,TMV& y@ b=e>a&^ >{2b`ZHE3psn QZ by Zita Ballinger Fletcher 1/18/2022. Its not all written down. 79% had a high school education or better. 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. So I guess I defied the odds. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. One of them gazed in our direction, lowered his AK 47 assault rifle and fired six shots. The income differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14, however, are estimated to be smaller. Then one hot, sunny day, while walking across rice paddies, we suddenly received small-arms fire from Viet Cong in some distant hills. If youre American (which you probably are), I could give a f***. Originally I went to the 543d TC. How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? 82nd 2/505th. No. It is Honor in the Valley of Tears. I carried the PRC-25 for most of a year. African Americans played a prominent role in the Vietnam War. 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. They were also in a circular formation. Calculate the pH of a solution of 0.157 M pyridine.? 1 Gun had registered its first kill. 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. Eventually I found a spot where the bed leveled off and began firing on the NVA. We were expecting, an attack. The first six or seven months I walked point for our platoon and led many ambushes and green eye patrols. However, Shermans were very outmatched by the German tanks on the field of battle. Hack volunteered for service in Vietnam in 1968, joining the 1st Infantry Division. 1 Gun over my shoulder, grabbed a corner of a poncho and stumbled off with three other soldiers. Flipping the safety off, I scanned the jungle in front of me. LUCK pure LUCK. The CACF is the basis for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall): Average age of 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years. Interesting but something is missing. Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division For some reason, the written word of this article was somehow deleted and lost. I have a fried Who is killed in Vietnam six months before I got there cause of death was other how would I find out since his parents are long gone, Do a search for his name n Coffeltdatabase.org, Sir, would you mind me translating this into Spanish and getting it posted in our blog? my left and saw this rice paddie farmer and his ox and I was trying to motion him to get down he just looks at me and starts How old are Vietnam vets now? !We dont abuse prisoners Now, if he reaches for his weapon to continue the fight BLOW HIS ASS AWAY THIS AINT SUNDAY SCHOOL!!! Before I became a team leader on ambush and recon I was in command of the scout jeep for the 25th ID resupply convoy from January 1968 to June 15, 1968 and I found the resupply convoys a lot more dangerous because the enemy always knew where it would be and when. 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. Around 3 p.m., when Grandstaff realized we were about to be overrun, he called in artillery right on top of our location. It was an honor indeed to serve with some of the finest soldiers I have ever met. Welcome Home Brothers ! 1 gun and was hoping it would stay that way. 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. Over 600 Navy FMF Hospital Corpsmen were killed in Vietnam. Our chase after the enemy unwittingly led us into a large ambush. Never knew they had life expectancy stats. Thats why they called us GRUNTS ! The average life expectancy of a Soviet soldier during the height of the battle was just 24 hours. It was an HONOR and a privilege to serve with these brave men for my 11 month tour. It was always quick/quick, load the bodies in and get the hell out. He served as a sergeant with the Big Red One in Lai Khe, Vietnam. 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). said to me. Our 5th night there, the AMMO area started burning / blowing up. My bud, Price took over as RTO. A dense mass of elephant grass hung over the riverbank, and he ducked under it. "And in seizing the firm land at the . In Company A, 22 men had been killedadded to the seven killed in Company B. My second tour was as the S3 for LTC Anthony Herbertone of Americas greatest leaders and WARRIORS OF ALL TIME. 99% of infantry men will currently live to die of natural causes. We had one RTO killed because he was too close to a 2ND Lt, same thing happened to another RTO. The average age of the men killed: 23.1 years. Rules may have changed, I was in the Delta region. Now, to calmly answer your question, air strikes have actually been an efficient technique used by us for years now. 17 photos showing the life of an elite US Army Ranger 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. Correct. See my calculation below in the comments bogus indeed. A former expert with the M60 machine gun shares his experiences wielding the fearsome weapon in Vietnam. Quickly learned to control rate of fire. 4. Staying alive was kinda of important. From Cam Rahn, we kept flying north to, a Landing Zone near QUANG TRI.

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