Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Just published my book The Last Goodbye by John Fratangelo, available on line on Barnes and Noble and Amazon Prime Books, Getting great reviews. said to me. Lowering my gun, I turned around and noticed two VC sitting in the doorway of the hut, staring at me. They were well-armed, well-trained and knew how to fight. Your article was quite interesting. Soon I could take the gun apart and put it back together in the dark. estimated education differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14 are close to those of U. S. population in 1979-89. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. 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. Saw from mostly safe distance almost all the weapons systems that where there used. In my tour everyone had the same chance of getting shot. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star in 1974. both tours. I never thought of it that way before but have many times since. Mi hermana se sorprende N-F C-F Cl-F F-F 2 Answers C-F is the most polar. 99% of infantry men will currently live to die of natural causes. BUT WE MUST ALSO BE COGNIZANT OF OUR REQUIREMENT TO BE COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEINGS. NFS. 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served. This is not Vietnam where a machine gunners life expectancy was short because you had an entire army shooting at them. 1 Gun was on my hip with the safety off, ready to rock and roll. The income differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14, however, are estimated to be smaller. What is the life expectancy of Vietnam veterans? The Bn & Company I was assigned to, was on the last row of Bldgs. What Was It Like To Hump The Boonies in Vietnam? These records were transferred into the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration in 2008. Also, it would mean the killed RTOs died within seconds of the fight (it doesnt distinguish between ambush or regular fight, eg. Nervous, I set up my gun on the hill and loaded a new hundred-round belt. Our battalion operated at a base camp near Tuy Hoa in Phu Yen province along the South China Sea from October 1966 to January 1967. I kept the radio because I understood the power of having the first communication with the support mechanisms of the military. 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. I saw killed and wounded everywhere in our combat operations. 82nd 2/505th. How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive In 2022? - CLJ Enemy fire greeted as us as soon as we landed near the village. The trailer for that video can be seen by googling the title, and it might still be sold on Amazon. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. I had to rely on my gun more than before. 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. Contents 1 Unclear objectives 2 North Vietnamese strategy We observed the rules of the Geneva Convention while the bad guys had no interest in doing so. Point was the safest place to be,they knew to wait for key elements, RTO, Medica, M60 Gunners. No. The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1961. 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. (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. Hack volunteered for service in Vietnam in 1968, joining the 1st Infantry Division. Your email address will not be published. Good article. 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. Sure but so was everyone else who went 12 months without getting killed or wounded. 1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August, 1995 (census figures). Ever since that fateful day in 1967, I have often wondered what became of my beloved M60. 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. 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 Every mission, I had the same thought. Over 600 Navy FMF Hospital Corpsmen were killed in Vietnam. 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. We were in2dBn 503d . Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division For some reason, the written word of this article was somehow deleted and lost. 2) by my research, medics suffered 93% casualties with about 33% deaths. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in World War II? Here is an 18 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. THANKS! Once we turned on the radar they could hit us with a harm missile. I also earned a Combat Infantryman Badge, signifying that I had been actively engaged in combat. 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. No. I got shot on a mission with 45 days left. They were lazy, cowardly and of questionable loyalty, especially the RUFF/PUFFS, and they would steal your under ware if given half a chance. It was very nearly my last. Calculate the pH of a solution of 0.157 M pyridine.? 1 Gun before my luck ran out. Not much different than his unit. Great reading. The machine guns were numbered within each platoon. 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. At Fort Lewis, every recruit learned to operate various weapons. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Hi, the whole thing is going nicely here and ofcourse every one Ha Ha always enjoyed being a volunteer! Vietnam War Facts, Stats and Myths - US Wings The early days of May 1970, I arrived at the Airport, next to Saigon. The one that should be there is the combat medic. Done ranting. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. No trees or anything on the ground. There were usually 3 man (At least 2) point teams. Ernest, Im glad that your first tour with the VN airborne was rewarding. 4. AS LEADERS IN AMERICAS SERVICES WE MUST BE PROFICIENT AND READY TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSIONS- 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. 1 Gun, as always, thumped out a throaty roar as I fought desperately to push the enemy back. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Address: 9241 13th Ave SW 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 credit my longetivity to great training at Ft Benning. Now we know. We can all hold our heads high and be proud of our service. My second tour was as the S3 for LTC Anthony Herbertone of Americas greatest leaders and WARRIORS OF ALL TIME. The Regiment traces its lineage back to World War II. Change). Rarely do we examine war through the unique bond between a man and his weaponin this case the M60 machine gun. Id love to see the casualties listed by Corps ? 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). If anything went wrong, I could easily kill some of our soldiers. (LogOut/ What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? 10-4. Welcome Home Roger. Point, slack and compass. Five RTOs. then youd carry an extra 200 rounds of M60 ammo for the machine gunner , plus drag grenades , one smoke grenade plus etc. 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. I was an Infantry Scout Dog handler. They were a great bunch. No. Nixon Presidential Papers. Contents1 [] If it had been up to me, I would have awarded my gun the CIB too. I DISAGREETHE ENEMY WOULD SHOOT THE GUY NEXT TO THE RTO-KNOWING HE WAS THE COMMANDER. The Vietnamese pilot who dropped the napalm in error is currently living in the United States. The next morning, the blasting could still be, heard. This makes our site more accessible to the blind, visually impaired, motor disabled, people with cognitive disabilities and more. Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. waving then I realized they Werent shooting at him only at the If you would like to get a copy, and cant find it, let me know, and I will make sure you get one. I was a helicopter pilot Our patrols were typically about 14 hours 24/7 We operated of old LSTs and large barges. Supported by a shoulder strap, No. At age 55, World War 2 Veterans Now, to calmly answer your question, air strikes have actually been an efficient technique used by us for years now. "The Rangers pulled themselves over the top," President Ronald Reagan said of the men, in 1984. I, in turn, would take an M16 rifle, which felt like a feather in comparison. There were two different groups that flew aeromedical evacuations. Soon after, Pfc. Really no mention of the regular rifleman. We then took all Trucks and equipment to the Port Of Saigon. 'No. 1 Gun': An M60 Machine Gunner in Vietnam Tells His Story - HistoryNet According to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) there are now officially 58, 318 names on the wall. 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%. Cluster F, SNAFU and FUBAR fer sur. Stop staring at your computer already, get up. I was trained as a RTO in 1970 at Fort Ord then went to Fort Gordon for teletype school, my MOS was 05C20 when I finished. aND, mAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! It was a chaotic nightmare. All of the next day, we could see SMOKE from the fire caused by the explosions of the AMMO at, the AMMO DUMP. Helicopters, F4 fighters. A Marine on patrol crosses a rice paddy in Vietnam holding an M60 machine gun in 1966. After that initial post-service period, Vietnam veterans were no more likely to die from suicide than non-Vietnam veterans.