(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. both tours. Just published my book The Last Goodbye by John Fratangelo, available on line on Barnes and Noble and Amazon Prime Books, Getting great reviews. Ha Ha always enjoyed being a volunteer! Cause-specific . Be glad you served with a soldiers soldier like LTC Herbert. Company B arrived in-country with four rifle platoons, and each platoon was armed with two M60s. Two points: 1) at least in Army units, Medevacs (dust offs) flew unarmed aircraft. Dap, Hope this helps. Deltoid muscle _____ 2. I never saw any correlation as to what MOS a soldier was and their survival rate. 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. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? I had yet to fire a shot with No. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. In Vietnam 70% 0f the casualties were Infantry BUT it might be 70% of ALL the Infantry that served in Vietnam. The Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of Americas commitment in Vietnam. Shermans had fairly thin armor (76mm at the thickest compared to a Tiger with 180mm at the thickest with most around 100mm). Eventually I found a spot where the bed leveled off and began firing on the NVA. He was killed in an ambush along with three others. Spanish Help THANKS! 1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August, 1995 (census figures). 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? I was lucky too but VN never left me. (and yes, you cant ask them, so it would have to be derived from the AA-reports and survivors). I was to have that experience two more times before it was over. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture, was Vietnamese. Naturally I was excited at the opportunity to join Sanzone, but at the same time I hated leaving 2nd Platoons No. The fact is that most machine gunners, RTOs, junior officers and other extremely dangerous jobs survived the war. May they rest in peace. 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 was shot down on my very first mission in July 1968. Foot soldiers went by the grace of God, but had a better chance than the infantry platoon commander in combat. 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. Vietnam War soldiers endured many hardships and faced many problems. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. I want to know what the life expectancy of a us infantry army soldier is. Company B had seven dead, Grandstaff announced, and I was to take No. A dense mass of elephant grass hung over the riverbank, and he ducked under it. There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and non-Vietnam Veterans of the same age group (Source: Veterans Administration Study). Interesting reading. Thanks. The peace settlement was signed in Paris on 27 January 1973. For example: 7*x^2. Date: March 8, 2020 Author: pdoggbiker 97 Comments Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. "The Cotton Balers, damn fine Soldiers." The Battalion returned to Fort Benning on October 11, 1970 and was inactivated. 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. The TOTAL number of CIB and CMB awarded would give you the answer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Work Plz. The one that should be there is the combat medic. 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. Michael Doolittle..I was with 1/8 inf, 1st Brigade, and that day, March 22nd was also our darkest day. Either way, thats a lot of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen, male and female that made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and there are still people dying as a result of their wounds receiver so very long ago in a place called Vietnam. Quickly learned to control rate of fire. %%EOF Point, slack and compass. 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. Some were constantly exposed to combat, some not so often. The United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. 74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome. 11 c mos , meaning I was also cross trained for mortars . We went out typically in two boat patrols one lead one cover . 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. 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. Back home he returned to hairdressing and got a job at Kenneth Salon in New York City working with top models and fashion magazine editors. The incredibly important role in the U.S. Army is responsible for defending the country through real-life combat. Interesting, I carried a Prick 25, for 2 months. Their personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. Wow I was 31.8 Gun shot Carried model 1200 Winchester shot gun WIA May 68 Article was great. I may not have hit anyone that day, but I am certain that No. said to me. Your email address will not be published. 82nd 2/505th. Startled, I quickly pointed my M60 at them. I always found life expectancy numbers interesting in that I could never find any supporting information that could be validated. My friend May, I later learned, was doing the same thing in 2nd Platoon. Flipping the safety off, I scanned the jungle in front of me. I also was 2/327 B company. 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 Dont know why, but generally, their aircraft were not armed (door gunners, etc.). 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. It was just part of the job. 1 Gun and I survived our first firefight. After a quick lesson, DeLong became the new owner of 4th Platoons No.1 Gun. My first tour was as an advisor to the VN Abn. 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. We looked for cover and returned fire the best we could. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. Overrun and utterly destroyed, the 30-man 4th Platoon had suffered 21 killed and one missing. Spent my year in a Recon platoon 2/35th 4th ID. endstream endobj startxref Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers. Bob Sanzone. Amen I was a machine gunner for 7 months 503rd infantry 173rd airborne and you hit the nail right on the head. 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). B)Enter the the Ksp expression forC2D3 in terms of the molar solubility x. Jimmy aaja -M.I.A. Ive always considered myself damn lucky to make it out alive. Also: for years I have read those life-expectancy numbers never really understanding them, but also noting that they wildly vary. I never even got a shot off. by Zita Ballinger Fletcher 1/18/2022. 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. year old Marine thinking this is my last day on earth. The U.S. Infantryman Vietnam Pocket Manual contains gems such as infantry "patrol tips," maneuver techniques, and fighting methods for various environments. I was an Infantry Scout Dog handler. Army Infantrymen (11B) are the main land combat force, and known as "Eleven Bravo.". Commanders like him were few and far between many were afraid of their own shadow and were only there to get their ticket punched. African Americans played a prominent role in the Vietnam War. It was a chaotic nightmare. 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. I was never hit by enemy fire even though they had multiple opportunities after that I was an rto for the company commander and I have to say both jobs were not fun. 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. Also, it would mean the killed RTOs died within seconds of the fight (it doesnt distinguish between ambush or regular fight, eg. Of the eight who remained, seven were wounded. 2 tour Nam Vet, The Navys First Vietnamese Admiral Saw His Family Killed by an Infamous Viet CongGuerrilla, The Navy's First Vietnamese Admiral Saw His Family Killed by an Infamous Viet Cong Guerrilla, A Day in the Life of an Infantry Point Man in Vietnam, The Story behind the famous Saigon Execution Photo. I also earned a Combat Infantryman Badge, signifying that I had been actively engaged in combat. Artillery, and ground forces. As I was running to the rivers edge, ready to unload on the VC hiding in the elephant grass, I ran past a grass hut and never bothered to clear it. The battalion was sending us to a village with a small river running through it. I carried the PRC-25 for most of a year. Soon I could take the gun apart and put it back together in the dark. I look over to From Cam Rahn, we kept flying north to, a Landing Zone near QUANG TRI. Enter the the Ksp expression forC2D3 in terms of the molar solubility x.? Thank You General Vessey for the almost 53 years I have lived since that day. 87% of Americans hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. How old are Vietnam vets now? Why is my internet redirecting to gslbeacon.ligit.com and how do I STOP THIS. Was I lucky ? They were all up there scanning the terrain and looking for signs. As the entire platoon hit the ground, I saw guys crawling back toward me. _____ 1. All the comments and replies are of absolute truth, I was only 18 when I got to Nam ,Im a country boy from NC so here I am By the time we reached Vietnam in October 1966 I felt the gun had become a part of me. Hats off to them. then youd carry an extra 200 rounds of M60 ammo for the machine gunner , plus drag grenades , one smoke grenade plus etc. S/F, There were no door gunners on dustoffs. (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. They have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups. What is the life expectancy of Vietnam veterans? A Co, 1/5 Cav, 1 Cav Division. I was wasting ammo and didnt even have a target! Just to show that its hard to get an accurate number, note my typo of 56,220. The blasts from the AMMO, really lit up the whole area. Without the helicopter it would have taken three times as many troops to secure the 800 mile border with Cambodia and Laos (the politicians thought the Geneva Conventions of 1954 and the Geneva Accords or 1962 would secure the border). I pumped 200 rounds into that riverbank. Each company had eight M60s. I was never formally trained as an RTO. I was already lugging around a 24-pound weapon, 300 rounds of ammo and a pack that weighed a good 45 pounds. We observed the rules of the Geneva Convention while the bad guys had no interest in doing so. They also struggled with logistical problems and the complex political situation in Vietnam. I was in the AF a Reo in a F4-C. Who had time to worry about the life Four platoons in a rifle company. There must have been a real mathematician to come up with those calculations. The jungle seemed to want No. The planes doing the bombing near the village were VNAF (Vietnam Air Force) and were being flown by Vietnamese pilots in support of South Vietnamese troops on the ground. 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. Yes, I made E4 at graduation, that was considered a NCO then. ), special forces, combat support, engineering, medics, and vehicle assault weapons. Supported by a shoulder strap, No. Es ridculo que t ______ (tener) un resfriado en verano. Different strokes for different folks in war fer sure. I, in turn, would take an M16 rifle, which felt like a feather in comparison. %PDF-1.5 % Soldiers also act in the mobilization of vehicles, weaponry, troops, and more. My bud, Price took over as RTO. In the few firefights and skirmishes we had with local VC, the gun always performed well. Many were killed or wounded ! I was a 2nd Lt. Infantry platoon Leader. 2. rice farmer who was still working with is ox like nothing ever 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. For his actions, he was awarded the Congressional Medal if Honor. Sholly injured an ankle, and 1st Lt. Cary Allen took command of Company B. We could not see any enemy soldiers, but we could see smoke coming from their weapons through the trees. The body felt as though it weighed considerably more than it looked. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. Nothing could be further from the truth. 1 Gun and I now faced a new and more formidable foethe North Vietnamese Army. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. As we approached the battle, we heard intense firing. means: 1 gets killed the 1st second, another one after 9 seconds avg. 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). There were two different groups that flew aeromedical evacuations. 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. Welcome Home Roger. Our home base was Quang Tri fire Base, But I spent about 6 months out at Mai Loc with the rig. We wanted a break. At that time, an infantry company consisted of about 150 men. Hurrying forward with No. Every single . Total fantasy. Point was the safest place to be,they knew to wait for key elements, RTO, Medica, M60 Gunners. The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9. There were also wounded. we were getting it with machine gun and mortars. Expenditures for a body in a combat zone? 1 Gun, I jumped into a small dry streambed with Domke, my assistant gunner. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? Our patrols were typically about 14 hours 24/7 We operated of old LSTs and large barges. I lost my cherry very early. Some very close calls but I am alive at age 74. Was No. 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. Most war stories are about soldiers and battles. An Hinglish word (Hindi/English). For example, life expectancy of male and female Veterans with household incomes less than $20,000, at respectively. When Roeski got hit, I took over the M-60. Love this analysis. 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. Learned a lot from him. Nixon Presidential Papers. What unit lost the most soldiers in Vietnam? 4314 0 obj <> endobj All of the next day, we could see SMOKE from the fire caused by the explosions of the AMMO at, the AMMO DUMP. 67-67 11B 4th Id. https://www.historynet.com/no-1-gun-an-m60-machine-gunner-in-vietnam-tells-his-story/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, When 21 Sikh Soldiers Fought the Odds Against 10,000 Pashtun Warriors, Few Red Tails Remain: Tuskegee Airman Dies at 96. Men and women die everyday. Nicknamed "the pig" due to its size, weight and sound, the gun struck fear into enemy troops. I was a REMF but Ive heard of 05Cs that were stuck out in the boonies on a firebase. They were not randomly selected but simply the best at doing it. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE VIETNAM VETS ARE NOT. The Davis Station in Saigon was named for him. The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. Thank God I made it. (LogOut/ US Wings is a veteran-owned business and an official supplier to the US Military. Database. DeLong had only fired the weapon once in training, so I let him fire off a few rounds to practice. General Westmoreland quoting Douglas Pike (a professor at the University of California, Berkeley), a major military defeat for the VC and NVA. 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 Wortman, another RTO never made it back to The World. Soldiers from 2nd Platoon, Company C, 87th Infantry Regiment, walk on patrol north of the Long . I wasnt aware that they kept life expectancy statistics. Over the next two months, we exchanged fire with groups of the NVA. 4329 0 obj <>stream The article was interesting. Mech. We were like sitting Ducks. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_losses_of Robert Sholly, standing with Platoon Sgt. What Was It Like To Hump The Boonies in Vietnam? As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division For some reason, the written word of this article was somehow deleted and lost. However, it was the discretion of the individual crewmen if they wanted to carry personal weapons or not. 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. Joe DeLong joined the company, and Sholly informed me that he would be the M60 gunner. (LogOut/ In total, the 7th Infantry spent four years in Vietnam. 1 Gun was firing. This makes calculations of those alive, even in 2017, difficult to maintain. 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. It didnt matter who you were or where you were. 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. Not long after the artillery barrage ended, the North Vietnamese swept through 4th Platoon and executed some of the survivors. In the 1st Cav medics were right behind the rto making them a very easy find also. hb```8fB cBLd2>Tb jz1@E; aK6Tmc.Nn"&gn7hj'wm,h d6p4u0`&88:,TMV& y@ b=e>a&^ >{2b`ZHE3psn QZ Thats what I figured but didnt know for sure. 2 Gun team, Ranallo and May, without any support. No. Suddenly I realized that my platoon sergeant was screaming at me to stop firing. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phucs brothers were killed in this incident. When we reached Company A, we placed our dead in the center of the two-company perimeter. And yes, please God, bless America. Like most inexperienced gunners, he underestimated the power of the pig and failed to keep the barrel down when firing. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. An interesting essay, even more interesting are the comments. We were discussing the different units and dangers of each. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. I flew Dustoff and our unit did not have M60s for protection, nor did any other Dustoff unit that Im aware of. As we were, steadily building up, our area for protection. So I guess i lasted longer than I was supposed to. Two of my closest friends in the company, Spc. The answer that we have always been given is that 1 year in the Infantry is equivalent to 3 years of hard labor. As far as I knew that was done in the whole battalion in 1968 . I was on a radar crew and we were told that, during war time, we would most likely be killed within minutes. Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. Most of us have memories of these kind of experiences. They also had a 12 gauge, and a M 79 grenade launcher and M 16. I picked up my M60 and walked to the center of the perimeter, where I found the company commander, Capt. When Apache Snow began, I was an RTO, after Airborne, and before the CA on Dong Ap Bia, I became the AG for Roeski. If the NVA shot at the group retrieving the bodies, I was to fire over the heads of the grunts and engage the enemy. Thanks for posting! The Vietnamese pilot who dropped the napalm in error is currently living in the United States. Bloody May 1968 Mini TET. 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. Our chase after the enemy unwittingly led us into a large ambush. Good article. Bruce Grandstaff and my best friend, Sgt. Anxiously extending the bipod legs on the M60, I added a 100-round belt to the one I already had in the gun. I had scary thoughts about myself humping the bush as a RTO, I was a real puny guy back then. I never thought of it that way before but have many times since. never happened,we lost two sweep team members and some He said when they were ambushed they took defensive positions, returned fire, called for assistance when needed, and retreated when necessary. Of the . In our spare time we did medevacs and medcaps for the local communities and when required inserted SEALs . Comments were more interesting than the article it self. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. 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. During that same Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served was: 9,492,958. 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. Or is it on display in a Hanoi museum so curious citizens of that city can inspect a weapon captured from American imperialists? As a point of reference, Patterson explained that combat troops in World War II, on average, spent 36 days in a combat environment; the average infantryman in Vietnam spent 245 days in constant. Sometimes on Family Guy when there about to take someones heart out they say, calimar or maybe its spelled different. It was more or less next man up . I was one of the many others I rode river boats in the Mekong Jan 68 to 69. I didnt make a move without that gun beside me. 1 Gun used to kill Americans? Amazingly, the NVA men then walked a short distance away, sat down and ate lunch. Sure but so was everyone else who went 12 months without getting killed or wounded. !We dont abuse prisoners Now, if he reaches for his weapon to continue the fight BLOW HIS ASS AWAY THIS AINT SUNDAY SCHOOL!!! Carried the prc25 for about 7 months. I won a few times, and even when I did not I benefited from handling the gun under stress. I was a point man, M60 Gunner and squad leader. MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. 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. Got hit inside 15 minutes, first ambush we walked up too. 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served. 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. To my right, Piambino had poked his head out of the trench to fire his M16 rifle. Needless too say I depended on Sgt. Company A searched in vain for the platoon in the dark and finally found the shattered unit on the morning of May 19. 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.. 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%. They were well-armed, well-trained and knew how to fight. The NVA had wedged a blocking force between our company and Company A, preventing us from advancing any farther. Like you, I carried a PRC-25 for about 5 months and never got hit. In the last 5 years the symptoms of PTSD and AO are starting getting worse in me. 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. Lived too tell about it. Hi, the whole thing is going nicely here and ofcourse every one 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.
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