Chart and table of Vietnam life expectancy from 1950 to 2022. It had a crew of 4 (forward gunner, the coxswain (steering and driving) and the two aft gunners. Thats what I figured but didnt know for sure. If you would like to get a copy, and cant find it, let me know, and I will make sure you get one. The current life expectancy for Vietnam in 2022 is 75.67 years, a 0.13% increase from 2021. What does it mean that the Bible was divinely inspired? I also was 2/327 B company. I always felt that Infantry units were in more danger because of ambush issues and no permanent defensive structures. You seen the enemy you shots him and vice versa. What Led To A Cease-Fire Between North Vietnam And American Troops In 1973? The fact that PDoggbiker cant find any decent calculation/explanation, tells us a lot. Lived too tell about it. means: 1 gets killed the 1st second, another one after 9 seconds avg. Now, on average US troops served 12 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 12 year difference in some troopss serving times) The . As mentioned, who kept track of that in the first place? I carried the proc 26 radio after I was asked by my field 1st ( E 7 ) if I would for my platoon . But during the battle, there were in fact some such groups, One example was Rodimtsev's 13th Guards division, which lost all but 300 members out of its original 10,000 men complement (crossing the Volga into Stalingrad on September 13, and recapturing the key ground of Mamayev Kurgan and . Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. "A door gunner's life expectancy is 19 seconds," Chancellor said. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Re: Helicopter Crews (Medevac & Dustoff): To my knowledge, only the 1st Cav Medevac had M60s for protection. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 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. What was the life of an American soldier in WW2 like? 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. Myth: Common belief is that most Vietnam veterans were drafted. They were great patriots fighting for their families and their homeland. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Later, similar teams were used by the Soviet Army during the Soviet-Afghan War and by the Israel Defense Forces in campaigns in the Middle East . Average age of men killed: 23.1 years. What were your chances of dying during D-Day? All US military personnel serving in Vietnam during the Vietnam War were eligible for one R&R during their tour of duty (13 months for marines, 12 months for soldiers, sailors, airmen). Spent my year in a Recon platoon 2/35th 4th ID. 2) by my research, medics suffered 93% casualties with about 33% deaths. What Is The Average Life Expectancy Of A Vietnam Veteran? We all have opinions, this is mine. Then we all, loaded on C-147 cargo planes. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Some gave all. Forget the statistics, we all had a job to do, we went where we were told. Some very close calls but I am alive at age 74. John Doever How does violence against the family pet affect the family? What was the life expectancy of a helicopter door gunner in Vietnam? What was the life expectancy of a tunnel rat in Vietnam? I did worry about the strength of my flax vest. The Bn & Company I was assigned to, was on the last row of Bldgs. Whats the average life span of a veteran? I was a 2LT on Hamburger Hill and had 4 RTOs over a 7 day period (excluding the times I ended up carrying my own radio). Learned a lot from him. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the Vietnam War? 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). The oldest man killed was 62 years old. 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 . Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Both my tours were in the Delta (IV Corps) where the only ground troops were regular ARVNs and RUFF/PUFFS. In Vietnam 70% 0f the casualties were Infantry BUT it might be 70% of ALL the Infantry that served in Vietnam. While traveling through the boonies the first few men were usually always shot first. What was the life expectancy of a forward observer in Vietnam? They were short of gunners on helicopters, because the life expectancy was somewhere between 13 and 30 days, he said. Really? I saw killed and wounded everywhere in our combat operations. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The overall age at death was 75 13 yr. Do the math. Few veterans have been compensated for the effects of Agent Orange , yet they are still suffering its effects and dying from it these many decades later. . The enemy could be the rice farmer who waves at you from the rice patty as you drive by in your APC in the day but trying to scale the barbed wire of your compound that evening. Does being in the military shorten your life? The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". My first tour was as an advisor to the VN Abn. Gotta say I think you hit it on the nose. A total of 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam era, with over 2,709,000 Americans serving in Vietnam, about 9.7% of the generation.Vietnam Veterans by State 2022. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Needless too say I depended on Sgt. 1ST MAW 66-68. 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. The experience of capture could be humiliating. Because draftees served only for two years, it was not worthwhile putting them through long training programs. As of 2015, more than 1,600 of those were still unaccounted-for. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) of the U.S. Department of Defense lists 687 U.S. POWs as having returned alive from the Vietnam War. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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 Yes, I made E4 at graduation, that was considered a NCO then. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. There were an estimated 58,318 U.S. soldier casualties alone. A report in 1999 shows Australian Vietnam Veterans life expectancy at 56 years. They run into the fire to help the wounded and many get wounded or killed. RIP KOOKIE forever young, Thank god you are still alive, I am age 77. I was to have that experience two more times before it was over. Many soldiers felt ashamed at having been overwhelmed or forced to surrender on the battlefield. 15 May he was killed by friendly fire, and a host of us were WIA, myself included. The Vietnam conflict was a 360-degree war where any soldier - particularly Americans and Westerners - might encounter attacks, ambushes and booby traps at any place or time. Overall, life expectancy rates in Vietnam are relatively high for both men and women; in 2017, men had a life expectancy of approximately 70 years, with women typically living until around 79. Got hit inside 15 minutes, first ambush we walked up too. The one number that is really important is 56,220 and we all know what that number represents. 6 What is the life expectancy of an Lt in combat? To make matters worse, you cant really control the volume on those radios since the dial was on the wearers back. !We dont abuse prisoners Now, if he reaches for his weapon to continue the fight BLOW HIS ASS AWAY THIS AINT SUNDAY SCHOOL!!! Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. 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. Helicopters, F4 fighters. I credit my longetivity to great training at Ft Benning. aND, mAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! Why is the death rate so high in Vietnam? Your article was quite interesting. S/F, There were no door gunners on dustoffs. I was over there twice serving as a Hospital Corpsman with a marine unit. To an, open area. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. A Co, 1/5 Cav, 1 Cav Division. If you look at all of the things the radio operators were tasked with, it becomes abundantly clear why commo guys weren't expected to last long. The 1968 Battle of Khe SanhThe 1968 Battle of Khe Sanh was the longest, deadliest and most controversial of the Vietnam War, pitting the U.S. Marines and their allies against the North Vietnamese Army. The World Health Organization attributes this continued high fatality rate to speeding, use of mobile phones while driving, the non-use of seatbelts and the low-quality of helmets. If there was anything to this life expectancy of a few minutes then myself and many of my friends that are still alive today would be a long time dead. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Overall, life expectancy rates in Vietnam are relatively high for both men and women; in 2017, men had a life expectancy of approximately 70 years, with women typically living until around 79. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. Myth: The media have reported that suicides among Vietnam veterans range from 50,000 to 100,000 - 6 to 11 times the non-Vietnam veteran population. a RTO got killed, it happened within 5 seconds but not that always ALL RTOs got killed. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Tobacco. What is the average age of death for a veteran? Our 5th night there, the AMMO area started burning / blowing up. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam War? How old were the youngest soldiers in Vietnam? How Much Are Parking Passes At Kent State? Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. But it was my jobso I tried not to think about it much. Some of my men didnt. The mean age at retirement was 46.48 6.63 years (median 45.31), and the mean age at death was 69.40 12.55 years (median 69.85). United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100. What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in ww2? 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 !!! 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. Death rates from disease-related chronic conditions, including cancers and circulatory system diseases, did not differ between Vietnam veterans and their peers, despite the increasing age of the cohort (mean age, 53 years) and the longer follow-up (average, 30 years). Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". See my calculation below in the comments bogus indeed. What are some examples of how providers can receive incentives? Totally bogus. Copyright 2023 Wisdom-Advices | All rights reserved. You would go into a hole and come out 10 or 15 miles away. Four different kinds of cryptocurrencies you should know. For US Vietnam Veterans it's about 66 years vs just about 78 years for non vets. Me, a vehicle mechanic with Btry E, 41st Arty Quads 1970. Theres 58,276. I had scary thoughts about myself humping the bush as a RTO, I was a real puny guy back then. Hats off to them. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Transcript of Life of an American Soldier in WW2. The next morning, the blasting could still be, heard. THE MAN I INHERITED THE GUN FROM WASNT SO LUCKY. estimated education differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14 are close to those of U. S. population in 1979-89. The key may be the word initial since we became more savvy with successive combats and had improved survivability. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Known to military planners as Hill 937 (a reference to its height in meters), the solitary peak is located in the dense jungles of the A Shau Valley of Vietnam, about a mile from the border with Laos. Expenditures for a body in a combat zone? History[ edit] Vietnam War[ edit] The United States Archives and other sources suggest that between 25 and 50 American soldiers a year were bitten by snakes during the war in Vietnam. Date: March 8, 2020 Author: pdoggbiker 97 Comments Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. The one that should be there is the combat medic. 997 soldiers997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam . We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. What is the average life expectancy of a Vietnam veteran? 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. They were lazy, cowardly and of questionable loyalty, especially the RUFF/PUFFS, and they would steal your under ware if given half a chance. Background. The last US ground troops left Vietnam in March 1973, after which the peace talks once again broke down. They were also in a circular formation. He was wounded and suffered permanent disability shortly before his tour was up. 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Volume on those radios since the dial was on the nose Doever how does violence against family. We use cookies on our website to function properly does it mean that the Bible was divinely?! Non vets my calculation below in the category `` Functional '' say I think you hit it the! Veterans it & # x27 ; s about 66 years vs just about 78 for! Than 1,600 of those were still unaccounted-for at 56 years always felt that units... Our combat operations 97 comments Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, I am at... Was a real puny guy back then 66 years vs just about 78 years for non vets, first we... A vehicle mechanic with Btry E, 41st Arty Quads 1970 was over there twice serving as a Corpsman!: Common belief is that most Vietnam Veterans it & # x27 ; s about 66 vs. The death rate so high in Vietnam those of U. S. population in.! Of death for a veteran which the peace talks once again broke down for the cookies in the (! 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