life expectancy of an infantry soldier in vietnam

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. Soldiers also act in the mobilization of vehicles, weaponry, troops, and more. Both halves quickly swept toward the river to clear the village. As an infantry platoon Sgt of a platoon made up of all draftees my age 21 plus or minus a year We fought the largest single one day battle of the war March 21, 1967 known as the Battle of Soui Tre, fire support base Gold operation Junction City, that base was commanded by LtCol John Vessey of the 2/77 FA Vessey was a 25 year veteran of WWII fame with a DSC at Anzio, and on this day he was looking at the end of his career after that tour in Vietnam. Commanders like him were few and far between many were afraid of their own shadow and were only there to get their ticket punched. Point was the safest place to be,they knew to wait for key elements, RTO, Medica, M60 Gunners. Startled, I quickly pointed my M60 at them. Change). US Wings provides aviation apparel to the U.S. Government and commercial customers along with the general public. RIght there and the NVA we were usually up against knew this. Fact: 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were other races. 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. 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 I was a point man, M60 Gunner and squad leader. I remember we were always short of replacements throughout 1968 because of the high Kia & wounded rate we suffered at that time ! May they rest in peace. 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. Three-fourths had family incomes above the poverty level; 50% were from middle income backgrounds. I credit my longetivity to great training at Ft Benning. An Rtos job was essential, tough,(Carrying the extra weight of the radio transmitter along with his rucksack), and dangerous. I was with HHC and 1st Platoon C Company in 70-71. That means you lose five RTOs in 5 seconds. Over the next two months, we exchanged fire with groups of the NVA. Like most inexperienced gunners, he underestimated the power of the pig and failed to keep the barrel down when firing. 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. 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. I am 16 years old an 150 pounds qith some good muscle. I pumped 200 rounds into that riverbank. Anyway I was wondering about the RTOs in a grunt platoon, was that their MOS or were they 11B that carried a PRC ? 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 knew some of this, but certainly not all. Screaming Eagles! The dead were placed on ponchos. They were held in special regard after the Normandy landings, when 225 Rangers scaled cliffs at Pointe Du Hoc on June 6, 1944 under intense enemy fire. wias. 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. African Americans played a prominent role in the Vietnam War. Ron. 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 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.. Artillery, and ground forces. Not to mention that right now its safer than some cities in the us. Nixon Presidential Papers. I think those numbers are percentages of US KIA, not mortality times. Flipping the safety off, I scanned the jungle in front of me. I was a medic on one for two yrs and the only weapon I was issue was a six-shot .38. He retired in 2012 and lives in Delray Beach, Florida. Great story!!! to the empployees was very informative. Expenditures for a body in a combat zone? Such as in the song Jimmy by M.I.A look at aaja in the dictionary My indian boyfriend told me is meaning come to me, 6 Answers I have never had or heard of that particular brand, but have had several here in Canada, plus a number in the Caribbean and Asia, and there all the same, small cut hot dogs in a can, no need q now please.. Name the major nerves that serve the following body areas:? He said when they were ambushed they took defensive positions, returned fire, called for assistance when needed, and retreated when necessary. They were not randomly selected but simply the best at doing it. Of the . You of course had the radio plus xtra batteries & handsets plus your rucksack with 7 to 8 canteens , 20 mags ( I used to carry 17 rounds in the mags instead of 20 ) because the springs would force the round into the chamber causing jams . maybe your question i vauge. Rarely do we examine war through the unique bond between a man and his weaponin this case the . 8h%5HF8r,X'q#Vtgz%)P/Oi#rU(uO&*Xx1t^=xVLi This is hard to believe, losing nearly 711,000 between 95 and 00. I carried the PRC-25 Radio most of that time. Suddenly, I heard my name shouted from the Company B command group. Soldier,this is a wardont forget that, and anytime we are in a fight we will be toughest SOBs in the fight!! 101st Airborne Division. Was it left behind on some forgotten battlefield? Ambushed on October 4th,1967. Never knew they had life expectancy stats. 4 Charlie Ranallo, were on No. Calculate the pH of a solution of 0.157 M pyridine.? At age 55, World War 2 Veterans I was an Artillery Forward Observer with the Infantry. Non-divisional aeromedical evacuation units went by the callsign DUSTOFF. The casualty rate in the current war today is a fraction. The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. I got shot on a mission with 45 days left. The average age of the men killed: 23.1 years. E)V_5lu[vC3+"vg2L& "And in seizing the firm land at the . In Vietnam 70% 0f the casualties were Infantry BUT it might be 70% of ALL the Infantry that served in Vietnam. I carried the PRC-25 for most of a year. Needless too say I depended on Sgt. Foot soldiers went by the grace of God, but had a better chance than the infantry platoon commander in combat. Michael Doolittle..I was with 1/8 inf, 1st Brigade, and that day, March 22nd was also our darkest day. Some of my men didnt. 2023 CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website, RTO, John Scheur. by Zita Ballinger Fletcher 1/18/2022. You seen the enemy you shots him and vice versa. Five RTOs. The man listed as missing was machine gunner Joe DeLong, captured along with No. THANKS! (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. Id had a premonition, and asked the LT to let me trade off to become the AG. Ha Ha always enjoyed being a volunteer! They also struggled with logistical problems and the complex political situation in Vietnam. But it was my jobso I tried not to think about it much. BUT WE MUST ALSO BE COGNIZANT OF OUR REQUIREMENT TO BE COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEINGS. (and yes, you cant ask them, so it would have to be derived from the AA-reports and survivors). 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. Also, it would mean the killed RTOs died within seconds of the fight (it doesnt distinguish between ambush or regular fight, eg. I had to rely on my gun more than before. Diaphragm _____ 3. The casualty rate in the current war today is a fraction. 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. As mentioned, who kept track of that in the first place? And yes, please God, bless America. Helicopters, F4 fighters. If anything went wrong, I could easily kill some of our soldiers. 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. Two rounds smashed into a log inches above my head. Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. 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. When Roeski got hit, I took over the M-60. Prayers for all. Every mission, I had the same thought. Vietnam War the helicopters that came in to transport soldiers were the hardest hit with mass casualties . A dense mass of elephant grass hung over the riverbank, and he ducked under it. aND, mAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! Interesting but something is missing. 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. We went out typically in two boat patrols one lead one cover . He was killed in an ambush along with three others. The answer that we have always been given is that 1 year in the Infantry is equivalent to 3 years of hard labor. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). the life expectancy of a LT in Vietnam in major combat was 16 minutes. Sholly finally agreed and stated that the next time we received replacements I could give one of them my M60. The Bronze Star was awarded to ALL that were awarded the CIB in WWII because the Infantry accounted for over 70% of the casualties in WWLL BUT NOT 70% )F ALL THE INFANTRY !!! Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. 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 traveled to Fort Lewis, Washington, and trained there for 10 months before deploying to Vietnam as specialist 4. Address: 561 E Hines Hill Road Hudson, Ohio 44236 Phone: 1-800-650-0659 / 330-655-5050 Fax: 330-653-3750 Email: [emailprotected], Retail Store Hours: Monday-Friday: 9am - 5pm EST Saturdays: 10am -3pm (Oct-Jan) Sundays: Closed. I was a REMF but Ive heard of 05Cs that were stuck out in the boonies on a firebase. If it had been up to me, I would have awarded my gun the CIB too. I saw killed and wounded everywhere in our combat operations. And us the living that served, who suffer from PTSD ,that figure or percent-aged would be about the greatest of all. Veteran Owned Since 1986. I was one of the many others I rode river boats in the Mekong Jan 68 to 69. They were Kims cousins not her brothers. We used to provide cover for these guys. US Wings is a veteran-owned business and an official supplier to the US Military. The one number that is really important is 56,220 and we all know what that number represents. The Army suffered the most total casualties, 38,179 or 2.7 percent of its force. Was I lucky ? More importantly, Grandstaff was very gung-ho. I met a Marine a few years ago who was stationed North of Da Nang. Posterior Thigh _____ 4. The Bn & Company I was assigned to, was on the last row of Bldgs. Gotta say I think you hit it on the nose. The machine gun was also mounted in the UH-1 Huey helicopter and other Army aircraft. 1 Gun. I had an assistant gunner, Spc. In January 1967, the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, was airlifted to Pleiku province in the Central Highlands. That was supposed to be 58, 220. but wait, there are more numbers for the same story. I wasnt sure if the VC had moved to right or left, so I sprayed the elephant grass in both directions. After a couple of hours, the Viet Cong stopped shooting and melted back into the jungle. Do the math. (LogOut/ PLEASE HELP!!! Interesting reading. 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. The Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of Americas commitment in Vietnam. Still, militarily, the Tet Offensive was a total defeat of the Communist forces on all fronts. Men and women die everyday. 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 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. 1 Gun more than I did. We had 5 kias and roughly 50 wounded in our company so about one in three got hit. I remember hearing somewhere about an RTO who wasnt getting the info out correctly and the Lieutenant (Kennedy) grabbed the mic and said My RTO Is Foxtrot Uniform. Suddenly I realized that my platoon sergeant was screaming at me to stop firing. Well he didnt make it. Theres 58,276. The Statistics in the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF 11/93) show an average age of death much higher than that of news reports. He served as a sergeant with the Big Red One in Lai Khe, Vietnam. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. No. In your rucksack . Their personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. As we were, steadily building up, our area for protection. Really no mention of the regular rifleman. Once we turned on the radar they could hit us with a harm missile. As I made it back to the road I remember seeing the 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. An Hinglish word (Hindi/English). However, inaccurately reported, the News Media made the Tet Offensive famous. I worried about that kind of leadership style in the highlands. You just do the best job you can and if you got hit, so be it! It was an HONOR and a privilege to serve with these brave men for my 11 month tour. Welcome home brothers and sisters. 5 seconds. Hats off to them. 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. I had a 20% death rate in my Hospital Corpsman Class. Great reading. 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. All of the next day, we could see SMOKE from the fire caused by the explosions of the AMMO at, the AMMO DUMP. It was the silent power of the pig, I suppose. 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. Got hit inside 15 minutes, first ambush we walked up too. I was on a radar crew and we were told that, during war time, we would most likely be killed within minutes. rice farmer who was still working with is ox like nothing ever One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. As I remember it the life expectancy was based on after the ambush was sprung or the fire fight started. 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. The Davis Station in Saigon was named for him. 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).

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