Many were killed or wounded ! I quit trying to make sense of all the numbers that have been generated about Vietnam. 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. aND, mAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! Before I became a team leader on ambush and recon I was in command of the scout jeep for the 25th ID resupply convoy from January 1968 to June 15, 1968 and I found the resupply convoys a lot more dangerous because the enemy always knew where it would be and when. Express your answer in terms of x. But it was my jobso I tried not to think about it much. Certainly got my attention. I had yet to fire a shot with No. A Marine on patrol crosses a rice paddy in Vietnam holding an M60 machine gun in 1966. I carried the proc 26 radio after I was asked by my field 1st ( E 7 ) if I would for my platoon . (Getty Images) Most war stories are about soldiers and battles. Required fields are marked *. My dog and I walked point my whole tour in Vietnam. Sholly injured an ankle, and 1st Lt. Cary Allen took command of Company B. The man with the carbine immediately dropped it, and the two VC surrendered. We were very, lucky. I never even got a shot off. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). Thank You General Vessey for the almost 53 years I have lived since that day. An Hinglish word (Hindi/English). 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. A dense mass of elephant grass hung over the riverbank, and he ducked under it. 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. I never saw any correlation as to what MOS a soldier was and their survival rate. They were great patriots fighting for their families and their homeland. Around 3 p.m., when Grandstaff realized we were about to be overrun, he called in artillery right on top of our location. Supported by a shoulder strap, No. 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. Michael Doolittle..I was with 1/8 inf, 1st Brigade, and that day, March 22nd was also our darkest day. He retired in 2012 and lives in Delray Beach, Florida. Walked point way to many times but never had contact. The rolling fire burned everything to the ground and undoubtedly killed scores of NVA. I was also told that the Radio did put a target on my back. 15 May he was killed by friendly fire, and a host of us were WIA, myself included. Explore the Life of a U.S. Infantryman in Vietnam. 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! BS but ia a way you are correct. As I remember it the life expectancy was based on after the ambush was sprung or the fire fight started. Sometimes on Family Guy when there about to take someones heart out they say, calimar or maybe its spelled different. It was on the Job Training ! Surrounded by an enemy battalion, our hopelessly outnumbered platoon waged a desperate battle for survival. Hack volunteered for service in Vietnam in 1968, joining the 1st Infantry Division. Eventually I found a spot where the bed leveled off and began firing on the NVA. Screaming Eagles! Soon I could take the gun apart and put it back together in the dark. 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served. We gathered the casualties and set out for Company A. 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 1st Cav medics were right behind the rto making them a very easy find also. Like you, I carried a PRC-25 for about 5 months and never got hit. Still shaken, I grabbed the gun and crawled to the left inside the streambed. From Cam Rahn, we kept flying north to, a Landing Zone near QUANG TRI. Then he said youre on a FB, the enemy always knows your location, can pretty much attack at will, and you really dont have the capability to retreat. I was shot down on my very first mission in July 1968. Some of my men didnt. Re: Helicopter Crews (Medevac & Dustoff): To my knowledge, only the 1st Cav Medevac had M60s for protection. 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. I was drafted on Nov. 10, 1965, and assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. They were located, next to us, in/on Long Bhin Post. Carrying a dead man some 300 yards through thick jungle in 100-degree heat was extraordinarily difficult. Calculate the pH of a solution of 0.157 M pyridine. The oldest man killed was 62 years old. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phucs brothers were killed in this incident. 99% of infantry men will currently live to die of natural causes. I am one lucky SOB. As soon as he did, a round hit him in the forehead, blowing out the back of his skull. The key may be the word initial since we became more savvy with successive combats and had improved survivability. E)V_5lu[vC3+"vg2L& His comparison to a FB was that if we were fired on we returned fire and requested assistance when needed. My heart was pounding out of my chest. That means you lose five RTOs in 5 seconds. 87% of Americans hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. (and yes, you cant ask them, so it would have to be derived from the AA-reports and survivors). They were also in a circular formation. It was a chaotic nightmare. TONY DISAGREED> hE SAID TAKE A 19 YEAR OLD, WHO HAS JUST TAKEN TWO ROUNDS TO HIS BODY, And IS watching his best friend die from multiple, bleeding wounds he wont give a shit about the Geneva Convention. The jungle seemed to want No. I traveled to Fort Lewis, Washington, and trained there for 10 months before deploying to Vietnam as specialist 4. Calculate the pH of a solution of 0.157 M pyridine.? 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. July 68 to July 69. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action). The average age of the 58,148 US Servicemembers killed in Vietnam was . Really? Fortunately, it was recorded on Spotify and can be listened to here: Thank you for both articles: (1)Going up river to port and (2) the flight from Italy back to Nam. Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division For some reason, the written word of this article was somehow deleted and lost. We are a woman-owned small business and Veteran-owned incorporated in Ohio. 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. In January 1967, the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, was airlifted to Pleiku province in the Central Highlands. I lost my cherry very early. If the NVA shot at the group retrieving the bodies, I was to fire over the heads of the grunts and engage the enemy. Now, to calmly answer your question, air strikes have actually been an efficient technique used by us for years now. 3 Answers C5H5N in water > C5H5NH+ & OH- Kb = [C5H5NH+] [OH-] / [C5H5N] 1.5e-9 = [x] 1. 97% of Vietnam Veterans were honorably discharged. 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). Its not all written down. Very Good , I was a radio operator up in I corps in 68 & to me the worst thing was the walking . The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. I sure feel for all you guys that went outside the wire. No. You were a Great RTO. PLEASE HELP!!! In Vietnam he cut the hair of everyone in his company for free. Like most inexperienced gunners, he underestimated the power of the pig and failed to keep the barrel down when firing. 4 Paul Domke, who carried extra belts of ammo and fed them into the gun. An interesting comment I had. We took fire all the time and responded. Every single . EACH OF US CARRIES OUR OWN MEMORIES AND THEY RUN THE GAMUT. I do remember when I got short I thought about it a lot more. The smell of those charred bodies, blackened and smoking from the napalm strike, is something I can never forget. They were all up there scanning the terrain and looking for signs. Data based on the latest United Nations Population Division estimates. Four platoons in a rifle company. They also struggled with logistical problems and the complex political situation in Vietnam. HOOAH!!! Was Billeted near an Army medevac Unit and was offered a chance to lay on my stomach with an M16 and door gun for them I decided not a good Idea. I was an RTO for 9-1/2 months for Hawk Recon 2/327 101AB from dec, 1969 to sept 70. 74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome. Fact: The domino theory was accurate. We were discussing the different units and dangers of each. I remember we were always short of replacements throughout 1968 because of the high Kia & wounded rate we suffered at that time ! Soldiers also act in the mobilization of vehicles, weaponry, troops, and more. Not much different than his unit. The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973. All that other stuff about seconds and minutes were story tellers, embellishing things to impress some listeners back home. The 140,000 evacuees in April 1975 during the fall of Saigon consisted almost entirely of civilians and Vietnamese military, NOT American military running for their lives. 4 Joey Piambino were to my right in the streambed. Oh, and even the Air Force has ground units. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. I am proud to have fought alongside of them. When Apache Snow began, I was an RTO, after Airborne, and before the CA on Dong Ap Bia, I became the AG for Roeski. _____ 1. If my memory is correct, only the 1st Cab flew wiith doorgunners. Be glad you served with a soldiers soldier like LTC Herbert. 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. After about 30 minutes, the four enemy soldiers got up and left the area. (LogOut/ Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 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. Correct. It was more or less next man up . The average age of the 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. No. I was one of the many others I rode river boats in the Mekong Jan 68 to 69. Wow I was 31.8 Gun shot Carried model 1200 Winchester shot gun WIA May 68 Article was great. The body felt as though it weighed considerably more than it looked. What the hell did you hit him with? one of our men shouted. Both my tours were in the Delta (IV Corps) where the only ground troops were regular ARVNs and RUFF/PUFFS. Nervous, I set up my gun on the hill and loaded a new hundred-round belt. Database. 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. I think those numbers are percentages of US KIA, not mortality times. 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. 1 Gun, I jumped into a small dry streambed with Domke, my assistant gunner. One was holding a carbine. Thank God I made it. 10 1/2 months in the bush. I was with HHC and 1st Platoon C Company in 70-71. 1 Gun onto a small hill and provide security while others retrieved them. 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. So I guess I defied the odds. Three-fourths had family incomes above the poverty level; 50% were from middle income backgrounds. I wasnt sure if the VC had moved to right or left, so I sprayed the elephant grass in both directions. Cruz quite a lot. well i have been army infantry for 12 years with 2 deployments, and still going strong. Well he didnt make it. I know this is a standard cliche, but it is so true, All gave some. Your email address will not be published. 2023 CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website, RTO, John Scheur. Fact: Servicemen who went to Vietnam from well-to-do areas had a slightly elevated risk of dying because they were more likely to be pilots or infantry officers. Lived too tell about it. To an, open area. 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. 4. 1 Gun, as always, thumped out a throaty roar as I fought desperately to push the enemy back. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. Completa las oraciones con la forma correcta del presente de subjuntivo de los verbos entre parntesis.? While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. There must have been a real mathematician to come up with those calculations. Staying alive was kinda of important. Everyone in the company hit the dirt. The three of us had trained together at Fort Lewis and were good friends. General Westmoreland quoting Douglas Pike (a professor at the University of California, Berkeley), a major military defeat for the VC and NVA. At that time, an infantry company consisted of about 150 men. After that initial post-service period, Vietnam veterans were no more likely to die from suicide than non-Vietnam veterans. I pumped 200 rounds into that riverbank. 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! My good friend who was a RTO was killed. 11 c mos , meaning I was also cross trained for mortars . 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. There were two different groups that flew aeromedical evacuations. 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). Anyway I was wondering about the RTOs in a grunt platoon, was that their MOS or were they 11B that carried a PRC ? I had been shot in the back early in the battle and was lying behind a log with two other soldiers. Sorry,I was one of your Brothers in Arms that helped talk you out of enlisting for another year in Vietnam. "The Rangers pulled themselves over the top," President Ronald Reagan said of the men, in 1984. Bloody May 1968 Mini TET. 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? Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. The next three weeks passed uneventfully. The Vietnam War was the turning point for Communism. I had to rely on my gun more than before. Dont know why, but generally, their aircraft were not armed (door gunners, etc.). While traveling through the boonies the first few men were usually always shot first. Originally I went to the 543d TC. They were Kims cousins not her brothers. They used the callsign MEDIVAC and were armed. To my surprise, I qualified as an expert with the M60 machine gun, nicknamed the pig because of the size, weight and sound of the weapon. 76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds. I was one of the lucky ones I came home without a physical scratch. The Statistics in the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF 11/93) show an average age of death much higher than that of news reports. Suddenly, I heard my name shouted from the Company B command group. 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. Now we know. I DISAGREETHE ENEMY WOULD SHOOT THE GUY NEXT TO THE RTO-KNOWING HE WAS THE COMMANDER. I knew some of this, but certainly not all. NFS. 1st Cav, 101st, etc. 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. We ambushed and got ambushed, firebase got attacked who carried what or did what had no bearing. I kept the radio because I understood the power of having the first communication with the support mechanisms of the military. Units would send a thorough report of their KIA and WIA, battle action coordinates, estimated enemy troop strength, enemy unit KIA/captured and any known direction heading. I spent my year in Vietnam with the 1/22nd infantry part of the 4th division. Cluster F, SNAFU and FUBAR fer sur. meaning what is the chance of me getting killed in combat. It was a daily challenge to know who your real enemy was. 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. The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. 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. The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9. A former expert with the M60 machine gun shares his experiences wielding the fearsome weapon in Vietnam. The gas-operated, belt-fed gun had a maximum rate of fire of 550-650 rounds per minute. 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. I was wasting ammo and didnt even have a target! the life expectancy of a LT in Vietnam in major combat was 16 minutes. 1ST MAW 66-68. The NVA had wedged a blocking force between our company and Company A, preventing us from advancing any farther. After a couple of hours, the Viet Cong stopped shooting and melted back into the jungle. 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:? We went out typically in two boat patrols one lead one cover . Hurrying forward with No. 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. (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. An interesting essay, even more interesting are the comments. 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. I was an FO back in the day. Our chase after the enemy unwittingly led us into a large ambush. The early days of May 1970, I arrived at the Airport, next to Saigon. And dug Berms, in the area. Mech. Now, the wisdom of this soldier tough but humanly compassionate warrior ethos can be assessed through the 2d Bn recordNO complaints about mistreatment of prisonerswhile achieving the most combat SUCCESSES IN THE BRIGADE.