To cut the Ho Chi Minh Traila week after the mission endedthe trail was booming with business from the north.. 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. African Americans played a prominent role in the Vietnam War. Our chase after the enemy unwittingly led us into a large ambush. Lt lost a finger, same time. Moving west down the trail, 4th Platoon exchanged fire with a single NVA soldier, then a handful and finally a group of about 10-15 around noon. PLEASE HELP!!! 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. Great story!!! Correct. I carried the proc 26 radio after I was asked by my field 1st ( E 7 ) if I would for my platoon . Umm..maybe its because we also learn from experience. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers. The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. 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. 2 Gun team, Ranallo and May, without any support. 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. I had been shot in the back early in the battle and was lying behind a log with two other soldiers. Life Expectancy of the World Population. If you would like to get a copy, and cant find it, let me know, and I will make sure you get one. wias. 87% of Americans hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. The other group of aeromedical evacuation were divisional, i.e. I was in the AF a Reo in a F4-C. Who had time to worry about the life He said when they were ambushed they took defensive positions, returned fire, called for assistance when needed, and retreated when necessary. What was the life expectancy of a point man in Vietnam? Sholly finally agreed and stated that the next time we received replacements I could give one of them my M60. We then took all Trucks and equipment to the Port Of Saigon. Id had a premonition, and asked the LT to let me trade off to become the AG. He was not the type to hump a radio. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE VIETNAM VETS ARE NOT. I felt the same way jumping off the chopper with my m-60, 300. rounds of ammo,grenades,sandbags and six canteens of water. Two points: 1) at least in Army units, Medevacs (dust offs) flew unarmed aircraft. (LogOut/ Nixon Presidential Papers. A typical Patrol Boat River (PBR) was about 31 feet long and had twin 50s forward an M 60 midships and a 50 aft. At Fort Lewis, every recruit learned to operate various weapons. 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. 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 Two of my closest friends in the company, Spc. Can I use this word like this: The addressal by the C.E.O. 67-67 11B 4th Id. %%EOF This makes calculations of those alive, even in 2017, difficult to maintain. Assigned to HHC 1/77 Armor, 1st, BDE 5th Inf. Then we learned, appx: 1 mile to our North was, an American AMMO storage area. The key may be the word initial since we became more savvy with successive combats and had improved survivability. He served as a sergeant with the Big Red One in Lai Khe, 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. 1 Gun before my luck ran out. 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 But I made it back in one piece. Very interesting I carried theM 60 for 5 months that gun would cut down anything. As we approached the battle, we heard intense firing. You just do the best job you can and if you got hit, so be it! I was told to help carry one of the bodies. Shea's gallantry in action at the cost of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon . Different strokes for different folks in war fer sure. They used the callsign MEDIVAC and were armed. The Army suffered the most total casualties, 38,179 or 2.7 percent of its force. This is hard to believe, losing nearly 711,000 between 95 and 00. I am convinced the same NVA soldier who shot at me moments before had killed my good friend, a budding doo-wop singer from Long Island, New York. The fact is that most machine gunners, RTOs, junior officers and other extremely dangerous jobs survived the war. What Was It Like To Hump The Boonies in Vietnam? Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21 years old. Foot soldiers went by the grace of God, but had a better chance than the infantry platoon commander in combat. For some reason, the written word of this article was somehow deleted and lost. The Vietnam War was the turning point for Communism. 2: role (MOS?). It was always quick/quick, load the bodies in and get the hell out. Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. Army Infantrymen (11B) are the main land combat force, and known as "Eleven Bravo.". 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). May they rest in peace. AS LEADERS IN AMERICAS SERVICES WE MUST BE PROFICIENT AND READY TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSIONS- Once we turned on the radar they could hit us with a harm missile. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). Both my tours were in the Delta (IV Corps) where the only ground troops were regular ARVNs and RUFF/PUFFS. Amen I was a machine gunner for 7 months 503rd infantry 173rd airborne and you hit the nail right on the head. First Sgt. This Battle changed his life and his future, had it not been for his actions, every man on this FSB Gold would have died. Diaphragm _____ 3. It was reported as an overwhelming success for the Communist forces and a decided defeat for the U.S. forces. They were located, next to us, in/on Long Bhin Post. I was told my life expectancy was about 45 secs during a fire fight because of the weapons and demo I carried. More importantly, Grandstaff was very gung-ho. 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. I kept the radio because I understood the power of having the first communication with the support mechanisms of the military. Ambulances are not supposed to be armed (either) though in training, medics are told they and their vehicles will be a prime target. Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation. 82nd 2/505th. Half of the company hopped off the Huey on one side of the river, and the rest exited on the other side. Over 600 Navy FMF Hospital Corpsmen were killed in Vietnam. 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. 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. That same day, I along with 3/4 others was transported to Long Bhin Post. Supported by a shoulder strap, No. Take out the power center, youve got the edge. means: 1 gets killed the 1st second, another one after 9 seconds avg. US Wings provides aviation apparel to the U.S. Government and commercial customers along with the general public. There were usually 3 man (At least 2) point teams. 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. A dense mass of elephant grass hung over the riverbank, and he ducked under it. Although the percent that died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. The Vietnamese pilot who dropped the napalm in error is currently living in the United States. I was an Artillery Forward Observer 13F20 E-5 at that time. All that other stuff about seconds and minutes were story tellers, embellishing things to impress some listeners back home. 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. well I wonder how long your going to last lieutenant? Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. Your article was quite interesting. Suddenly, I heard my name shouted from the Company B command group. Carrying a dead man some 300 yards through thick jungle in 100-degree heat was extraordinarily difficult. I was told to show the new guy how to use it properly. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? I am proud to have fought alongside of them. As soon as he did, a round hit him in the forehead, blowing out the back of his skull. However, inaccurately reported, the News Media made the Tet Offensive famous. Ambushed on October 4th,1967. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. In the 1st Cav medics were right behind the rto making them a very easy find also. A documentary about our company and our 1st Sgt was made. Thats why they called us GRUNTS ! I was a point man, M60 Gunner and squad leader. Proudly holding my M60 over my head, I screamed at the top of my lungs, No. Lucky you. I just wanted to get off No. hmK#1+yNvA By the time we reached Vietnam in October 1966 I felt the gun had become a part of me. Both halves quickly swept toward the river to clear the village. Here is an 18 I personally carried 300 rounds of ammo at all times, one belt in the gun and two across my chest. 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). We can all hold our heads high and be proud of our service. 1 Gun had registered its first kill. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam? Deltoid muscle _____ 2. An Hinglish word (Hindi/English). That means you lose five RTOs in 5 seconds. I sure feel for all you guys that went outside the wire. Gotta say I think you hit it on the nose. 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. Expenditures for a body in a combat zone? At age 55, World War 2 Veterans They were not randomly selected but simply the best at doing it. 4322 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<4E412331B845E54EBDFDC79FA0627A18>]/Index[4314 16]/Info 4313 0 R/Length 65/Prev 560501/Root 4315 0 R/Size 4330/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream When the Company B units that landed on the opposite side of the river got to the bank, some troops reached in and pulled the enemy from the water. July 68 to July 69. Both were infantry in WW2. I spent my year in Vietnam with the 1/22nd infantry part of the 4th division. The NVA had wedged a blocking force between our company and Company A, preventing us from advancing any farther. 15 May he was killed by friendly fire, and a host of us were WIA, myself included. My second tour was as the S3 for LTC Anthony Herbertone of Americas greatest leaders and WARRIORS OF ALL TIME. Terrified, I dropped down as fast as I could, pulling the gun and two ammo belts of 100 rounds apiece on top of me as I fell back into the dry streambed. Some of my men didnt. His body was torn to pieces. Two of my classmates were killed within 2 weeks incountry and three wounded I know of. Staying alive was kinda of important. Combatants on both sides faced physical challenges posed by the climate, terrain and wildlife of the country. I handled Top Secret Commo on a daily basis. 99% of infantry men will currently live to die of natural causes. The machine guns were numbered within each platoon. 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. See also: Population 85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life. A soldier or Marine in Vietnam had a 98% chance of survival if he was evacuated within the first hour of being injured the best odds in the history of American warfare up to that time. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. An Rtos job was essential, tough,(Carrying the extra weight of the radio transmitter along with his rucksack), and dangerous. The smell of those charred bodies, blackened and smoking from the napalm strike, is something I can never forget. Your email address will not be published. Knowing I had a 100-round belt in my M60, I opened up on that hillside, my gun getting so hot that the barrel smoked. The oldest man killed was 62 years old. I loved it. The United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. I was one of the many others I rode river boats in the Mekong Jan 68 to 69. 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. HOOAH!!! My assistant gunner and my ammo bearer also carried 300 rounds each. Just published my book The Last Goodbye by John Fratangelo, available on line on Barnes and Noble and Amazon Prime Books, Getting great reviews. I was already lugging around a 24-pound weapon, 300 rounds of ammo and a pack that weighed a good 45 pounds. Although we do tend to bomb a lot, thats only half of what we do. Appx: 6 months in, all of the 543d TC joined forces with the 572d TC. I was an FO back in the day. Bloody May 1968 Mini TET. 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. 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. Its not all written down. Please do not send samples. For example, life expectancy of male and female Veterans with household incomes less than $20,000, at respectively. Roger Loves you too, Im sure. The Regiment traces its lineage back to World War II. We ambushed and got ambushed, firebase got attacked who carried what or did what had no bearing. But, once the enemy lays down his weapon, I want YOU TO REMEMBER THREE THINGS: 1, HE IS A SOLDIER, JUST LIKE YOU.2, HE IS AWAY FROM HOME And family, just like you. 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. One was holding a carbine. (tirotactico.net). The incident in the photo took place on the second day of a three day battle between the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) who occupied the village of Trang Bang and the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) who were trying to force the NVA out of the village. Screaming Eagles! Different type units, different locations, different opinions on dangers. They also had a 12 gauge, and a M 79 grenade launcher and M 16. Jimmy aaja, jimmy aaja. Answer (1 of 12): It heavily depends. This was another example in the Vietnam War of an inaccuracy becoming the perceived truth. My shit got weak and a sniper popped three rounds in my young ass. I would carry when on ambush. They have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups. My father was on a lrrp team!65-67never was shot but killed alot.He never really got over it though died in 2012! Death by a Bottle! 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. Then the tempo changed suddenly and violently. The two platoons were to advance no more than 200 yards from the main body of the company. Thank You for your courageous service as an RTO with the legendary Hawk Recon Platoon. We took fire all the time and responded. It means, IF (!) Wortman, another RTO never made it back to The World. In Vietnam, 1 in 400 of the wounded died of their . Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. Helicopters, F4 fighters. Thank You General Vessey for the almost 53 years I have lived since that day. approaching a village and a firefight starts). 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. 1 Gun used to kill Americans? I got shot on a mission with 45 days left. Overrun and utterly destroyed, the 30-man 4th Platoon had suffered 21 killed and one missing. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Well, according to current mortality and morbidity statistics for the USright around 77.5 Years! I didnt make a move without that gun beside me. Really? 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. Every single . Love you Wortman!!!! I lost my cherry very early. And dug Berms, in the area. Were talking averages, obviously so, an RTO, with an expectancy of 5 seconds (!) In your rucksack . Anxiously extending the bipod legs on the M60, I added a 100-round belt to the one I already had in the gun. Everyone in the company hit the dirt. 1 Gun, I jumped into a small dry streambed with Domke, my assistant gunner. Still, militarily, the Tet Offensive was a total defeat of the Communist forces on all fronts. Calculate the pH of a solution of 0.157 M pyridine. I was over there twice serving as a Hospital Corpsman with a marine unit. The enemy fire ceased, and we made arrangements to collect our dead before continuing on to Company A. That was supposed to be 58, 220. but wait, there are more numbers for the same story. I did worry about the strength of my flax vest. 0 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. Nervous, I set up my gun on the hill and loaded a new hundred-round belt. LUCK pure LUCK. 1 Gun was on my hip with the safety off, ready to rock and roll. The gas-operated, belt-fed gun had a maximum rate of fire of 550-650 rounds per minute. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. Still shaken, I grabbed the gun and crawled to the left inside the streambed. For his actions, he was awarded the Congressional Medal if Honor. My heart was pounding out of my chest. As a Huey door gunner, when we left the ground on a mission, I always thought that this mission would be my last! No. I too never understood survivor quilt, Enjoyed your article. Commanders like him were few and far between many were afraid of their own shadow and were only there to get their ticket punched. Also, it would mean the killed RTOs died within seconds of the fight (it doesnt distinguish between ambush or regular fight, eg. 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. So I guess I defied the odds. Naturally I was excited at the opportunity to join Sanzone, but at the same time I hated leaving 2nd Platoons No. I traveled to Fort Lewis, Washington, and trained there for 10 months before deploying to Vietnam as specialist 4. The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. My 31-months in-country was in three Direct Support US Army aviation units, 15TC BN, First Cav, 335TH, Americal and 17TH Cav 101ST ABD65-71In the last battle I was directly involved, LAM SON 719, into Laos, cost army aviation units over 600-helicopters shot down or battle damagedthe NVA were waiting for our SECRET mission in early 71I was glad to go home at battles end, in March 71 , almost unscathed, I was TDY for my absurd third tourTo the point, many ARVN Rangers, airborne and their other best died in Lam Son 719US Army Infantry were forbidden entry to Laos in 71.. the ARVN were massacredand many US Army pilots and crew mambers were KIA & WIAeven MIA. located on the South End of, the Post. I couldnt disagree. Vietnam War soldiers endured many hardships and faced many problems. 1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August, 1995 (census figures). I never saw any correlation as to what MOS a soldier was and their survival rate. 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. Spanish Help The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. We had one RTO killed because he was too close to a 2ND Lt, same thing happened to another RTO. We all die, so its not even worth worrying about when in my opinion, id rather do something that i knew was worth it and risk dieing instead of living in fear of death. It was just north of Saigon. 1 Gun and I survived our first firefight. This is not Vietnam where a machine gunners life expectancy was short because you had an entire army shooting at them. Grab some friends and go outside. I think those numbers are percentages of US KIA, not mortality times. On the morning of March 22, 1967, companies A and B of my battalion began a search-and-destroy operation along the Cambodian border. Enemy fire greeted as us as soon as we landed near the village. By mid-April 1967 I was pleading with the captain to get a replacement gunner for my M60 in 4th Platoon. Joe DeLong joined the company, and Sholly informed me that he would be the M60 gunner. The three of us had trained together at Fort Lewis and were good friends. Non-divisional aeromedical evacuation units went by the callsign DUSTOFF. Now we know. No. 5 Answers There is no word like addressal. Fact: 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were other races. Four platoons in a rifle company. The average life expectancy of a Soviet soldier during the height of the battle was just 24 hours. No combat assignments for another year of service in Vietnam or get out in about a month. They were well-armed, well-trained and knew how to fight. We wanted a break. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. 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. 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? Well he didnt make it. Two rounds smashed into a log inches above my head. As the entire platoon hit the ground, I saw guys crawling back toward me. 8h%5HF8r,X'q#Vtgz%)P/Oi#rU(uO&*Xx1t^=xVLi