I was constantly untangling the barrel and bipod of the gun from grasping vines and branches. My good friend who was a RTO was killed. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. Commanders like him were few and far between many were afraid of their own shadow and were only there to get their ticket punched. "The Cotton Balers, damn fine Soldiers." The Battalion returned to Fort Benning on October 11, 1970 and was inactivated. The next morning, the blasting could still be, heard. 11 c mos , meaning I was also cross trained for mortars . Not long after the artillery barrage ended, the North Vietnamese swept through 4th Platoon and executed some of the survivors. I met a Marine a few years ago who was stationed North of Da Nang. Thats what I figured but didnt know for sure. happened. They run into the fire to help the wounded and many get wounded or killed. Welcome Home Roger. 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.. (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. No. Then we all, loaded on C-147 cargo planes. We went out typically in two boat patrols one lead one cover . Very interesting I carried theM 60 for 5 months that gun would cut down anything. A Co, 1/5 Cav, 1 Cav Division. Flipping the safety off, I scanned the jungle in front of me. THANKS! We were discussing the different units and dangers of each. The trailer for that video can be seen by googling the title, and it might still be sold on Amazon. I picked up my M60 and walked to the center of the perimeter, where I found the company commander, Capt. Either way, thats a lot of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen, male and female that made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and there are still people dying as a result of their wounds receiver so very long ago in a place called Vietnam. DeLong was later killed attempting to escape from a North Vietnamese prisoner of war camp in Cambodia. hbbd```b`` ,&Iw sA '#o Quickly learned to control rate of fire. maybe your question i vauge. I won a few times, and even when I did not I benefited from handling the gun under stress. My friend May, I later learned, was doing the same thing in 2nd Platoon. 1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August, 1995 (census figures). The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9. 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. Wortman, another RTO never made it back to The World. The Army suffered the most total casualties, 38,179 or 2.7 percent of its force. B)Enter the the Ksp expression forC2D3 in terms of the molar solubility x. Jimmy aaja -M.I.A. %PDF-1.5
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I was shot down on my very first mission in July 1968. That same day, I along with 3/4 others was transported to Long Bhin Post. No. We were probably not too far away on that day. Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison only one-half of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes. In my tour everyone had the same chance of getting shot. Enter the the Ksp expression forC2D3 in terms of the molar solubility x.? 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! Hats off to them. the life expectancy of a LT in Vietnam in major combat was 16 minutes. (many of the Soviet casualties were POWs, though). For example: 7*x^2. In January 1967, the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, was airlifted to Pleiku province in the Central Highlands. 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. Thank You General Vessey for the almost 53 years I have lived since that day. What is the life expectancy of Vietnam veterans? He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star in 1974. Non-divisional aeromedical evacuation units went by the callsign DUSTOFF. They were lazy, cowardly and of questionable loyalty, especially the RUFF/PUFFS, and they would steal your under ware if given half a chance. This Battle changed his life and his future, had it not been for his actions, every man on this FSB Gold would have died. Interesting, I carried a Prick 25, for 2 months. 85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life. They were great patriots fighting for their families and their homeland. DeLong had only fired the weapon once in training, so I let him fire off a few rounds to practice. Does this mean addressing to a crowd? The life expectancy of a radio operator in the Vietnam War ranged between five to six seconds all the way up to a slightly-more-optimistic thirty seconds, depending on your source. What percentage of Vietnam veterans actually saw combat?
When I popped back up to put out some automatic fire, a bullet whizzed by my earno more than an inch from my headand slammed into the tree next to me, shattering the bark. You seen the enemy you shots him and vice versa. Of the eight who remained, seven were wounded. Company B had seven dead, Grandstaff announced, and I was to take No. The Bn & Company I was assigned to, was on the last row of Bldgs. At that time, an infantry company consisted of about 150 men. You were a Great RTO. 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. 1 Gun kept a lot of enemy heads down. Was a door gunner and crew chief for just shy of 18 months (I extended to get out early). No. 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. 2 Gun to Ranallo. 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. 4314 0 obj
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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. wmy:LsN{/^yzJ] 6.7>n-:FqOa#CW>ia?wt?Xa@ghCd bF)`Schl4*f. 0
Ernest, Im glad that your first tour with the VN airborne was rewarding. Really? 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). Spent my year in a Recon platoon 2/35th 4th ID. 1 Gun used to kill Americans? At age 55, World War 2 Veterans It was more or less next man up . The Regiment traces its lineage back to World War II. I am 81 now and survived the encounter by terminated the sniper. There were two different groups that flew aeromedical evacuations. An infantry platoon commander in combat had an average of 6 weeks life expectancy. The early days of May 1970, I arrived at the Airport, next to Saigon. I loved it. The Australian Vietnam veteran study assessed the postservice mortality of 19 205 Vietnam veterans and 25 677 non-Vietnam veterans through 1981. 8h%5HF8r,X'q#Vtgz%)P/Oi#rU(uO&*Xx1t^=xVLi Carrying a dead man some 300 yards through thick jungle in 100-degree heat was extraordinarily difficult. We had been carrying machine guns for over seven months. Total fantasy. Some were constantly exposed to combat, some not so often. 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. 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. https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. I too never understood survivor quilt, Enjoyed your article. Welcome home. Vietnam War soldiers endured many hardships and faced many problems. Ever since that fateful day in 1967, I have often wondered what became of my beloved M60. 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. In our spare time we did medevacs and medcaps for the local communities and when required inserted SEALs . There were usually 3 man (At least 2) point teams. I was one of the many others I rode river boats in the Mekong Jan 68 to 69. Staying alive was kinda of important. EACH OF US CARRIES OUR OWN MEMORIES AND THEY RUN THE GAMUT. I always felt that Infantry units were in more danger because of ambush issues and no permanent defensive structures. We were very, lucky. It was a daily challenge to know who your real enemy was. 2 Gun.. A Marine on patrol crosses a rice paddy in Vietnam holding an M60 machine gun in 1966. Comments were more interesting than the article it self. Nobody attacked, where we were. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the VietnamWar? If it was your day to get hit or die, it happened. Required fields are marked *. His comparison to a FB was that if we were fired on we returned fire and requested assistance when needed. A typical Patrol Boat River (PBR) was about 31 feet long and had twin 50s forward an M 60 midships and a 50 aft. 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. I did worry about the strength of my flax vest. 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. There must have been a real mathematician to come up with those calculations. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 4 Charlie Ranallo, were on No. Well he didnt make it. I would carry when on ambush. Hi, the whole thing is going nicely here and ofcourse every one As of April 14, 2017, there are 1,611 Americans still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War across Vietnam (1,258), Laos(297), Cambodia(49), and China(7). The Kb of pyridine, C5H5N, is 1.5 x 10-9. He was not the type to hump a radio. When Roeski got hit, I took over the M-60. Still, militarily, the Tet Offensive was a total defeat of the Communist forces on all fronts. 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 !!! Company A searched in vain for the platoon in the dark and finally found the shattered unit on the morning of May 19. Roger Loves you too, Im sure. 1 Gun before my luck ran out. The smell of those charred bodies, blackened and smoking from the napalm strike, is something I can never forget. endstream
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Different type units, different locations, different opinions on dangers. Hack received the Purple Heart for major combat injuries, and spent the rest of his military career as a recruiter for the US Army in Akron, Ohio. Sociologists Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, in their recently published book All That We Can Be, said they analyzed the claim that blacks were used like cannon fodder during Vietnam and can report definitely that this charge is untrue. As it was, less than 40 did not need evacuation. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. year old Marine thinking this is my last day on earth. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. Great information. Veteran Owned Since 1986. Hack volunteered for service in Vietnam in 1968, joining the 1st Infantry Division. Bravo, 3/187th Inf, 101st Airborne Div, 2nd Plt, 2nd Sq, Hamburger Hill, May 69. Thats 390 per day. Can I use this word like this: The addressal by the C.E.O. Cruz quite a lot. 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! Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division. located on the South End of, the Post. 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. I wasnt sure if the VC had moved to right or left, so I sprayed the elephant grass in both directions. Men and women die everyday. 1 gun and was hoping it would stay that way. 58,148 were killed in Vietnam, 75,000 severely disabled, 23,214 were 100% disabled, 5,283 lost limbs and 1,081 sustained multiple amputations. I was over there twice serving as a Hospital Corpsman with a marine unit. I never saw any correlation as to what MOS a soldier was and their survival rate. By mid-April 1967 I was pleading with the captain to get a replacement gunner for my M60 in 4th Platoon. I was a medic on one for two yrs and the only weapon I was issue was a six-shot .38. 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 . I always found life expectancy numbers interesting in that I could never find any supporting information that could be validated. 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. Every single . The rolling fire burned everything to the ground and undoubtedly killed scores of NVA. Ive always considered myself damn lucky to make it out alive. Date: March 8, 2020 Author: pdoggbiker 97 Comments Photo above is of Stanley Kober with RTO, John Scheur. Once we turned on the radar they could hit us with a harm missile. aND, mAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! I wasnt aware that they kept life expectancy statistics. The first six or seven months I walked point for our platoon and led many ambushes and green eye patrols. Before he was drafted Renza had worked as a hairdresser for women in his hometown of Peekskill, New York. Fighters and planes dont make up the Army, thats the Air Force. 82nd 2/505th. The fact that PDoggbiker cant find any decent calculation/explanation, tells us a lot. 2 Gun team, Ranallo and May, without any support. It was the silent power of the pig, I suppose. The average life expectancy of a front-line soldier in eastern Ukraine is four hours, a Marine said. Ha Ha always enjoyed being a volunteer! Half of the company hopped off the Huey on one side of the river, and the rest exited on the other side. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand stayed free of Communism because of the U.S. commitment to Vietnam. hb```8fB cBLd2>Tb jz1@E; aK6Tmc.Nn"&gn7hj'wm,h d6p4u0`&88:,TMV&
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The casualty rate in the current war today is a fraction. If you were an administrative officer or clerk in an air-conditioned trailer in Saigon, your war might be a lot like peacetime duty. 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." In the 1st Cav medics were right behind the rto making them a very easy find also. What was the life expectancy of a point man in Vietnam? This is hard to believe, losing nearly 711,000 between 95 and 00. Certainly got my attention. Life Expectancy of the World Population. The blasts from the AMMO, really lit up the whole area. I was in 2nd Platoon and carried the platoons No. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_losses_of Some very close calls but I am alive at age 74. 1 gun! Everyone laughed. I just wanted to get off No. Bob Sanzone. Two of my closest friends in the company, Spc. This makes our site more accessible to the blind, visually impaired, motor disabled, people with cognitive disabilities and more. 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. As we approached the battle, we heard intense firing. The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. Life expectancy at birth. I flew Dustoff and our unit did not have M60s for protection, nor did any other Dustoff unit that Im aware of. The Organization of the Viet Cong Units in the South never recovered. We were expecting, an attack. I was drafted on Nov. 10, 1965, and assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. These records were transferred into the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration in 2008. We wanted a break. 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. I've never heard about the life expectancy of 6 weeks (even with a short google search). My second tour was as the S3 for LTC Anthony Herbertone of Americas greatest leaders and WARRIORS OF ALL TIME. 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. 1 Gun, I jumped into a small dry streambed with Domke, my assistant gunner. 1 Gun was firing. 4 Answers aaja Come. I know this is a standard cliche, but it is so true, All gave some. You just do the best job you can and if you got hit, so be it! Nervous, I set up my gun on the hill and loaded a new hundred-round belt. Most war stories are about soldiers and battles. I think convoy truck drivers had one of the most dangerous job. Thanks for posting! I handled Top Secret Commo on a daily basis. 11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. I credit my longetivity to great training at Ft Benning. Just published my book The Last Goodbye by John Fratangelo, available on line on Barnes and Noble and Amazon Prime Books, Getting great reviews. Some of my men didnt. I am 16 years old an 150 pounds qith some good muscle. To keep busy on the boat ride to Vietnam, my unitCompany B, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regimentheld competitions where we took the gun apart and put it back together while blindfolded to see who could do it fastest. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. More importantly, Grandstaff was very gung-ho. 1 Gun. I had an assistant gunner, Spc. I had a 20% death rate in my Hospital Corpsman Class. When we reached Company A, we placed our dead in the center of the two-company perimeter. Anyway I was wondering about the RTOs in a grunt platoon, was that their MOS or were they 11B that carried a PRC ? 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served. Then I dropped back down in the streambed to organize our ammo. They have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups. Diaphragm _____ 3. He was killed in an ambush along with three others. V. Victor Renza was sent home after he was wounded on May 18, 1967. Still shaken, I grabbed the gun and crawled to the left inside the streambed. Had multiple Ks and Ws. The three of us had trained together at Fort Lewis and were good friends. 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. Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21 years old. C Co, 1st-12th 66-67. I was told to help carry one of the bodies. The Statistics in the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF 11/93) show an average age of death much higher than that of news reports. Bloody May 1968 Mini TET. They kept coming up the hill bringing more bodies to me until all seven had been found. 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. I was still pondering the move to 4th Platoon when U.S. Air Force jets screamed over the treetops with canisters of napalm. The man with the carbine immediately dropped it, and the two VC surrendered. Or is it on display in a Hanoi museum so curious citizens of that city can inspect a weapon captured from American imperialists? An NVA soldier had evidently spotted the gun and waited patiently for me to stick my head up. 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. In total, the 7th Infantry spent four years in Vietnam. Fact: 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were other races.
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