I carried the PRC-25 Radio most of that time. Anyway I was wondering about the RTOs in a grunt platoon, was that their MOS or were they 11B that carried a PRC ? Yes, I made E4 at graduation, that was considered a NCO then. When Roeski got hit, I took over the M-60. 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. The jungle seemed to want No. Very Good , I was a radio operator up in I corps in 68 & to me the worst thing was the walking . Change). we were getting it with machine gun and mortars. However, it was the discretion of the individual crewmen if they wanted to carry personal weapons or not. Spent my year in a Recon platoon 2/35th 4th ID. They kept coming up the hill bringing more bodies to me until all seven had been found. I was a REMF but Ive heard of 05Cs that were stuck out in the boonies on a firebase. We looked for cover and returned fire the best we could. "The Cotton Balers, damn fine Soldiers." The Battalion returned to Fort Benning on October 11, 1970 and was inactivated. 1 Gun used to kill Americans? The Army suffered the most total casualties, 38,179 or 2.7 percent of its force. Correct. I was with HHC and 1st Platoon C Company in 70-71. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. Mech. There were no Americans involved in any capacity. 99% of infantry men will currently live to die of natural causes. Certainly got my attention. PLEASE HELP!!! Work Plz. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. 85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life. If anything went wrong, I could easily kill some of our soldiers. See also: Population Totally bogus. Ambushed on October 4th,1967. Interesting but something is missing. Every single . But I made it back in one piece. Grab some friends and go outside. 101st Airborne Division. The helicopter provided unprecedented mobility. 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. In the few firefights and skirmishes we had with local VC, the gun always performed well. I always felt that Infantry units were in more danger because of ambush issues and no permanent defensive structures. I prayed I would not have to fire over the heads of the 4th Platoon troops entering the draw to retrieve our dead. 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. 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 I was sitting on the ground one day trying to dry out my gear and better configure my ruck when my squad leader came walking over to me and said, Gow, youve got the radio. As he turned and walked away! Re: Helicopter Crews (Medevac & Dustoff): To my knowledge, only the 1st Cav Medevac had M60s for protection. After every officer in our company was either killed or had serious wounds, our 1st Sgt , David McNerney took over the company and without his leadership, and knowledge of war, and unbelievable courage, our company would probably have been wiped out. We gathered the casualties and set out for Company A. 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. Thank You for your courageous service as an RTO with the legendary Hawk Recon Platoon. 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. He was wounded and suffered permanent disability shortly before his tour was up. Your email address will not be published. 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. Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. Not much different than his unit. There were two different groups that flew aeromedical evacuations. 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. Bravo, 3/187th Inf, 101st Airborne Div, 2nd Plt, 2nd Sq, Hamburger Hill, May 69. In January 1967, the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, was airlifted to Pleiku province in the Central Highlands. Hats off to them. We had 5 kias and roughly 50 wounded in our company so about one in three got hit. The CDC Vietnam Experience Study Mortality Assessment showed that during the first 5 years after discharge, deaths from suicide were 1.7 times more likely among Vietnam veterans than non-Vietnam veterans. The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. The Tet Offensive succeeded on only one front and that was the News front and the political arena. 2: role (MOS?). The U.S. Infantryman Vietnam Pocket Manual contains gems such as infantry "patrol tips," maneuver techniques, and fighting methods for various environments. No. I put the M60s bipod legs down, lifted the weapon and positioned it on the ground outside the streambed facing the NVA. (and yes, you cant ask them, so it would have to be derived from the AA-reports and survivors). I would carry when on ambush. His comparison to a FB was that if we were fired on we returned fire and requested assistance when needed. Quickly learned to control rate of fire. 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. Thanks for posting! located on the South End of, the Post. Nicknamed "the pig" due to its size, weight and sound, the gun struck fear into enemy troops. 1 Gun. I had an assistant gunner, Spc. 2023 CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website, RTO, John Scheur. If the enemy was near, we never saw any. It may not have worked for some other wars, but they were pretty helpful. US Wings recently added to OTEXA's Made in U.S.A. 1: physical position (in the field / column) Not long after the artillery barrage ended, the North Vietnamese swept through 4th Platoon and executed some of the survivors. C Co, 1st-12th 66-67. Life expectancy at birth. 1 Gun. Theres 58,276. It was reported as an overwhelming success for the Communist forces and a decided defeat for the U.S. forces. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in World War II? When we reached Company A, we placed our dead in the center of the two-company perimeter. Why is my internet redirecting to gslbeacon.ligit.com and how do I STOP THIS. I am 16 years old an 150 pounds qith some good muscle. Five RTOs. Then we learned, appx: 1 mile to our North was, an American AMMO storage area. 67-67 11B 4th Id. First Sgt. El subjuntivo We do have infantry (why do you think we have that MOS? I was an Artillery Forward Observer 13F20 E-5 at that time. 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. . HOOAH!!! What unit lost the most soldiers in Vietnam? See you in the next life!!!!! Great story!!! Needless too say I depended on Sgt. But it was my jobso I tried not to think about it much. Life Expectancy of the World Population. (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. 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. The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. 11 c mos , meaning I was also cross trained for mortars . The three of us had trained together at Fort Lewis and were good friends. Completa las oraciones con la forma correcta del presente de subjuntivo de los verbos entre parntesis.? In my humble opiniona maneven leaders should often recalculate their adversaries capabilities and limitations and his own limitations as wellwhen 10,000 miles from home against a determined worthy foein a strange landThe objective of Lam Son 719? My friend May, I later learned, was doing the same thing in 2nd Platoon. 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. Welcome home!! I was told to show the new guy how to use it properly. U.S. Wings is a manufacturer and a supplier. Look for the blue accessibility symbol floating on every page of our website and click on it to tailor your viewing experience to your particular disability. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_losses_of See my calculation below in the comments bogus indeed. I kept the radio because I understood the power of having the first communication with the support mechanisms of the military. It was just north of Saigon. We are a woman-owned small business and Veteran-owned incorporated in Ohio. 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. I was in the AF a Reo in a F4-C. Who had time to worry about the life S/F, There were no door gunners on dustoffs. It doesnt make any sense statistically/mathematically it is impossible. Two rounds smashed into a log inches above my head. Here is an 18 Was the 7th Infantry in Vietnam? - 2023 is sharing facts, thats truly good, keep up writing. My shit got weak and a sniper popped three rounds in my young ass. 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). And dug Berms, in the area. Diaphragm _____ 3. I couldnt see DeLong and didnt know if No. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in battle on - Quora Thats my experience. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. An infantry platoon commander in combat had an average of 6 weeks life expectancy. I may not have hit anyone that day, but I am certain that No. Thats 390 per day. If youre American (which you probably are), I could give a f***. 1ST MAW 66-68. I was a 2nd Lt. Infantry platoon Leader. Half of the company hopped off the Huey on one side of the river, and the rest exited on the other side. Does this mean addressing to a crowd? 1 Gun had registered its first kill. AS LEADERS IN AMERICAS SERVICES WE MUST BE PROFICIENT AND READY TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSIONS- Roger Loves you too, Im sure. Here are statistics from the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF) as of November 1993. Love this analysis. I was constantly untangling the barrel and bipod of the gun from grasping vines and branches. BUT WE MUST ALSO BE COGNIZANT OF OUR REQUIREMENT TO BE COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEINGS. It was an HONOR and a privilege to serve with these brave men for my 11 month tour. Black fatalities amounted to 12 percent of all Americans killed in Southeast Asia, a figure proportional to the number of blacks in the U.S. population at the time and slightly lower than the proportion of blacks in the Army at the close of the war.. July 68 to July 69. a RTO got killed, it happened within 5 seconds but not that always ALL RTOs got killed. Name the major nerves that serve the following body areas? Carrying a dead man some 300 yards through thick jungle in 100-degree heat was extraordinarily difficult. Your Dad and I had the same job. 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. 5 Answers There is no word like addressal. 15 May he was killed by friendly fire, and a host of us were WIA, myself included. I had to rely on my gun more than before. Was it left behind on some forgotten battlefield? The average age of the 58,148 US Servicemembers killed in Vietnam was . The battalion was sending us to a village with a small river running through it. Everyone in the company hit the dirt. By mid-April 1967 I was pleading with the captain to get a replacement gunner for my M60 in 4th Platoon. We were like sitting Ducks. The article was interesting. Both were infantry in WW2. 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. I for one commend you for your courage and thank you for your service to your country. Also , it I might add that the, Government big wigs, have a quota [percentage]of a lot of the Military equipment etc that had a certain amount of time to function until it was disable, blow up, wrecked, junk, etc. I handled Top Secret Commo on a daily basis. I was wounded 3 times during the 10 1/2 months I was in-country before being medevacd out in Apr of 68. Your email address will not be published. What Was It Like To Hump The Boonies in Vietnam? 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. Although the percent that died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. Really? "The Rangers pulled themselves over the top," President Ronald Reagan said of the men, in 1984. Helicopters, F4 fighters. Well, according to current mortality and morbidity statistics for the USright around 77.5 Years! Interesting reading. I was drafted on Nov. 10, 1965, and assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. His body was torn to pieces. What was the life expectency of a private soldier in vietnam? It was an honor indeed to serve with some of the finest soldiers I have ever met. We had been carrying machine guns for over seven months. Every mission, I had the same thought. by Zita Ballinger Fletcher 1/18/2022. This has been going on for about a week Every time I try to watch a video on Youtube from my laptop I get instantly redirected to "gslbeacon.ligit.com." I was a grunt with c co. 4/31 196th it inf bade. The one number that is really important is 56,220 and we all know what that number represents. Some unfortunately also came home with physical scars. This makes our site more accessible to the blind, visually impaired, motor disabled, people with cognitive disabilities and more. Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation. PDF Mortality Rates and Life Expectancy of Veterans from 1980 to 2017, and Naturally I was excited at the opportunity to join Sanzone, but at the same time I hated leaving 2nd Platoons No. 23,24 This study found that the death rate for Vietnam veterans was 1.3 times that for non-Vietnam veterans; however, the excess deaths were limited to Engineer Corps members (RR, 2.5). I was an FO back in the day. Sept 69 to Sept 70. Some were constantly exposed to combat, some not so often. Because if only 1 RTO fought for say only 10 or 15 minutes before being killed, that would up the AVG for the total war! I look over to Suddenly, I heard my name shouted from the Company B command group. 4 Bill May and Spc. Like you, I carried a PRC-25 for about 5 months and never got hit. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. Over 600 Navy FMF Hospital Corpsmen were killed in Vietnam. Our home base was Quang Tri fire Base, But I spent about 6 months out at Mai Loc with the rig. The next morning, the blasting could still be, heard. Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison only one-half of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes. I wasnt aware that they kept life expectancy statistics. 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 . What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the Vietnam War Information presented by SFC (Ret) David Hack. %%EOF 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. 2 Gun.. 4329 0 obj <>stream hb```8fB cBLd2>Tb jz1@E; aK6Tmc.Nn"&gn7hj'wm,h d6p4u0`&88:,TMV& y@ b=e>a&^ >{2b`ZHE3psn QZ 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. Take out the power center, youve got the edge. How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive In 2022? - CLJ Never knew they had life expectancy stats. The Davis Station in Saigon was named for him. The last American troops departed in their entirety 29 March 1973. Thats why I never understand people talking about survivors guilt it should have been me, why him? etc. Answer (1 of 12): It heavily depends. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. 'No. 1 Gun': An M60 Machine Gunner in Vietnam Tells His Story - HistoryNet A former expert with the M60 machine gun shares his experiences wielding the fearsome weapon in Vietnam. The first six or seven months I walked point for our platoon and led many ambushes and green eye patrols. 4 Charlie Ranallo, were on No. I am proud to have fought alongside of them. Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. The man listed as missing was machine gunner Joe DeLong, captured along with No. 3 Answers C5H5N in water > C5H5NH+ & OH- Kb = [C5H5NH+] [OH-] / [C5H5N] 1.5e-9 = [x] 1. The casualty rate in the current war today is a fraction. I never saw any correlation as to what MOS a soldier was and their survival rate. It was a daily challenge to know who your real enemy was. The NVA had wedged a blocking force between our company and Company A, preventing us from advancing any farther. 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. happened. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. All that other stuff about seconds and minutes were story tellers, embellishing things to impress some listeners back home. Sholly injured an ankle, and 1st Lt. Cary Allen took command of Company B. Then one hot, sunny day, while walking across rice paddies, we suddenly received small-arms fire from Viet Cong in some distant hills. After that initial post-service period, Vietnam veterans were no more likely to die from suicide than non-Vietnam veterans. Amazingly, the NVA men then walked a short distance away, sat down and ate lunch. Military history of African Americans in the Vietnam War Some Brothers said why spend another year in this hellhole???? _____ 1. The average age of the 58,148 US Servicemembers killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years (CACF) Going backwards (Apr. A Marine on patrol crosses a rice paddy in Vietnam holding an M60 machine gun in 1966. In total, the 7th Infantry spent four years in Vietnam. A dense mass of elephant grass hung over the riverbank, and he ducked under it. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture, was Vietnamese. I had a 20% death rate in my Hospital Corpsman Class. For some reason, the written word of this article was somehow deleted and lost. The 4th Platoons single machine gun crewthe platoon had entered the fight short a gunhad been killed in the fighting, and I was to be moved there. Proudly holding my M60 over my head, I screamed at the top of my lungs, No. I did worry about the strength of my flax vest. PDF Mortality Rates and Life Expectancy of Veterans - Veterans Affairs As I made it back to the road I remember seeing the 74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome. I watched in horror as four NVA soldiers ambled through the branches of a downed tree that partially concealed us. 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. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the VietnamWar? I was to have that experience two more times before it was over. Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21 years old. Now, to calmly answer your question, air strikes have actually been an efficient technique used by us for years now. That was a hell of a responsibility to take on. 4 Joey Piambino were to my right in the streambed. 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). 1 Gun, I jumped into a small dry streambed with Domke, my assistant gunner. then youd carry an extra 200 rounds of M60 ammo for the machine gunner , plus drag grenades , one smoke grenade plus etc. I was a point man, M60 Gunner and squad leader. Fact: No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. This article appeared in the October 2021 issue of Vietnam magazine. 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. Company B arrived in-country with four rifle platoons, and each platoon was armed with two M60s. 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. 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.