My first tour was as an advisor to the VN Abn. Nothing could be further from the truth. I carried the PRC-25 Radio most of that time. Contents 1 Unclear objectives 2 North Vietnamese strategy Were talking averages, obviously so, an RTO, with an expectancy of 5 seconds (!) 2 Gun team, Ranallo and May, without any support. I wasnt aware that they kept life expectancy statistics. I was wasting ammo and didnt even have a target! 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. E)V_5lu[vC3+"vg2L& 4314 0 obj <> endobj 1 Gun more than I did. 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. 3 Answers C5H5N in water > C5H5NH+ & OH- Kb = [C5H5NH+] [OH-] / [C5H5N] 1.5e-9 = [x] 1. I DISAGREETHE ENEMY WOULD SHOOT THE GUY NEXT TO THE RTO-KNOWING HE WAS THE COMMANDER. 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. A former expert with the M60 machine gun shares his experiences wielding the fearsome weapon in Vietnam. Our patrols were typically about 14 hours 24/7 We operated of old LSTs and large barges. I traveled to Fort Lewis, Washington, and trained there for 10 months before deploying to Vietnam as specialist 4. DeLong was later killed attempting to escape from a North Vietnamese prisoner of war camp in Cambodia. .. I want to know what the life expectancy of a us infantry army soldier is. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the VietnamWar? Their personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. meaning what is the chance of me getting killed in combat. In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans group. I was an Artillery Forward Observer with the Infantry. The blasts from the AMMO, really lit up the whole area. The fact that PDoggbiker cant find any decent calculation/explanation, tells us a lot. There were two different groups that flew aeromedical evacuations. maybe your question i vauge. I was still pondering the move to 4th Platoon when U.S. Air Force jets screamed over the treetops with canisters of napalm. They were Kims cousins not her brothers. Two rounds smashed into a log inches above my head. Really no mention of the regular rifleman. Your email address will not be published. For his actions, he was awarded the Congressional Medal if Honor. Point was the safest place to be,they knew to wait for key elements, RTO, Medica, M60 Gunners. Ron. MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. Stop staring at your computer already, get up. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action). Supported by a shoulder strap, No. The United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. never happened,we lost two sweep team members and some Es ridculo que t ______ (tener) un resfriado en verano. by Zita Ballinger Fletcher 1/18/2022. The average life expectancy of a Soviet soldier during the height of the battle was just 24 hours. Expenditures for a body in a combat zone? US Wings provides aviation apparel to the U.S. Government and commercial customers along with the general public. I watched in horror as four NVA soldiers ambled through the branches of a downed tree that partially concealed us. We used to provide cover for these guys. What was the life expectancy of a point man in Vietnam? By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE VIETNAM VETS ARE NOT. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. I was a medic on one for two yrs and the only weapon I was issue was a six-shot .38. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. 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. He was killed in an ambush along with three others. A Co, 1/5 Cav, 1 Cav Division. 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. 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. I loved it. 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? He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. I was constantly untangling the barrel and bipod of the gun from grasping vines and branches. He retired in 2012 and lives in Delray Beach, Florida. Good article. I did worry about the strength of my flax vest. Welcome home brothers and sisters. 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. I was lucky too but VN never left me. %%EOF Many were killed or wounded ! 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 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. Over 600 Navy FMF Hospital Corpsmen were killed in Vietnam. From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served. 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. Non-divisional aeromedical evacuation units went by the callsign DUSTOFF. The dead were placed on ponchos. It doesnt make any sense statistically/mathematically it is impossible. The man listed as missing was machine gunner Joe DeLong, captured along with No. After a quick lesson, DeLong became the new owner of 4th Platoons No.1 Gun. As mentioned, who kept track of that in the first place? 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. We were told in training that the life expectancy of a machine gunner was about seven seconds from the moment the first round was fired. Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. The Tet Offensive succeeded on only one front and that was the News front and the political arena. 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. Ernest, Im glad that your first tour with the VN airborne was rewarding. The other group of aeromedical evacuation were divisional, i.e. I spent 10 1/2 months in the jungles of Vietnam. When Apache Snow began, I was an RTO, after Airborne, and before the CA on Dong Ap Bia, I became the AG for Roeski. El subjuntivo News media have reported tha an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc.Those are incorrect. May was eventually able to hand off 2nd Platoons No. The 4th Platoon survivors stayed put for the night. Soon I could take the gun apart and put it back together in the dark. And us the living that served, who suffer from PTSD ,that figure or percent-aged would be about the greatest of all. It was more or less next man up . 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. Just published my book The Last Goodbye by John Fratangelo, available on line on Barnes and Noble and Amazon Prime Books, Getting great reviews. 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. the life expectancy of a LT in Vietnam in major combat was 16 minutes. There were usually 3 man (At least 2) point teams. I carried the proc 26 radio after I was asked by my field 1st ( E 7 ) if I would for my platoon . I for one commend you for your courage and thank you for your service to your country. If you were an administrative officer or clerk in an air-conditioned trailer in Saigon, your war might be a lot like peacetime duty. Lowering my gun, I turned around and noticed two VC sitting in the doorway of the hut, staring at me. Vietnam War the helicopters that came in to transport soldiers were the hardest hit with mass casualties . Cluster F, SNAFU and FUBAR fer sur. 2 Gun to Ranallo. It was an honor indeed to serve with some of the finest soldiers I have ever met. We wanted a break. Vietnam War soldiers endured many hardships and faced many problems. And I know what youre going to say, Because the American cs! Bullcrap!!!! In 1973, Renza opened his own salon in Peekskill. My good friend who was a RTO was killed. Certainly got my attention. They run into the fire to help the wounded and many get wounded or killed. As I made it back to the road I remember seeing the I am 81 now and survived the encounter by terminated the sniper. Here is an 18 I didnt want any medals. Name the major nerves that serve the following body areas? 1st Platoon, C Company, 2nd Battalion 327th Infantry. Soldiers from 2nd Platoon, Company C, 87th Infantry Regiment, walk on patrol north of the Long . Great story!!! In Vietnam he cut the hair of everyone in his company for free. Wow I was 31.8 Gun shot Carried model 1200 Winchester shot gun WIA May 68 Article was great. We had 5 kias and roughly 50 wounded in our company so about one in three got hit. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The Australian Vietnam veteran study assessed the postservice mortality of 19 205 Vietnam veterans and 25 677 non-Vietnam veterans through 1981. They were glad to see me as it had been a while for replacements with the unit. Shermans had fairly thin armor (76mm at the thickest compared to a Tiger with 180mm at the thickest with most around 100mm). I put the M60s bipod legs down, lifted the weapon and positioned it on the ground outside the streambed facing the NVA. Comments were more interesting than the article it self. 2: role (MOS?). 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 I know the scouts in my company had a slightly longer rate but not much. Very Good , I was a radio operator up in I corps in 68 & to me the worst thing was the walking . well I wonder how long your going to last lieutenant? Thanks for the reply. 1 Gun became my very best friend. Both were infantry in WW2. Every single . 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 an Infantry Scout Dog handler. Helicopters, F4 fighters. Totally bogus. My assistant gunner and my ammo bearer also carried 300 rounds each. You just do the best job you can and if you got hit, so be it! I was in the AF a Reo in a F4-C. Who had time to worry about the life estimated education differentials in life expectancy for Veterans in 2011-14 are close to those of U. S. population in 1979-89. Lucky you. Grab some friends and go outside. 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. Please do not send samples. Ambushed on October 4th,1967. Back in 1965, I was a door gunner on Medevac recovery operations. 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.. Welcome Home Roger. After a couple of hours, the Viet Cong stopped shooting and melted back into the jungle. 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.