Yep we got briefings then helloed into some ridge in who knows where. This accurate accounting gives us persepective on the cost of current and future wars. 2.8 million tour because some guys just couldnt get enough! if you slept in the same bed more than 4 nights a week you were a REMF doesnt make you a abad guy but you are a remf. Everyone knows this. A phantom drifted over and raised me up to unconsciousness. Before I passed out, I was being picked up off the jungle floor by some entity. That is exactly what I was going to post. Today is Sun 22 Aug 2021 but the actual date HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED as the US is SENDING GIs BACK! You can sleep in it. A number 1/2 the peak, say 250,000 still seems high but would come closer to 3,000,000 number serving. Dave, Although my time had come, my death brought a realization that, I WOULD NOT ALLOW MYSELF TO DYE IN THAT JUNGLE. I discovered a conviction, antithesis to my beliefs, that it was not the North Vietnamese Army that sealed my fate, nor the soldier that touched off the RPG that distorted my body; I had the power from GOD to go to the next phase in my journey. We certainly were in close combat often during my tour in 69-70. In 1995 Vietnam released its official estimate of the number of people killed during the Vietnam War: as many as 2,000,000 civilians on both sides and some 1,100,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters. I rode river patrol boats from 1968-9 we were on the rivers but we were there 24hours a day days a week. No one paid any attention to them and this non-controversy continues. Each averaged 2500-3000 personnel on a yearly rotating bases, groaning and shrinking based on the missions being conducted. In addition 18 US AF Security Police personnel and their 5 person aircrew were killed responding to the incident (the seizure of the USS Mayaquez), some do not recognize them as combat related deaths either. and by the way, they never got benefits after their time at sea. State-Level Veteran Suicide Data: 2020 Update In addition, the US lost two F-111As, three F-4s, two A-7s, two A-6s, one EB-66, one HH-53, and one RA-5C. Those who do not remember where in country they were, WHERE NOT THERE.. Or suffering from a complete mental memory disorder. . best to all. Thanks for your responses. That means bullets where flying at me and I killed people in combat. I found out from a vet in 2017, filed in 2018. I submit, we should use the same standard for Vietnam. we were all on the same side of the aisle. You go, brother! Without fanfare or much recognition. Then, I stopped at the 5th. I do not know how many others served with us. We did what we felt needed doing. When the 3rd Brigade,82 ABD moved from Camp Rodriguez (I Corps) in October 1968 my first base was Tent Citynear Bien Hoa (III Corps) then my unit was moved to Phu Loi. I KNOW MY STATS BECAUSE I WAS THE LONGEST SERVING MEMBER (20 YRS) on the New Jersey Agent Orange Commission, including four years as Chairman. Why the Shame? I knew I had to stand up again, even though I made a better target; my staying in the open road would be a death sentence. The military stopped the. The only good thing was 22 days off my tour. The commander of the sapper ambush signaled the weapons man to fire the first RPG, and it impacted behind the target. I was a Pilot, Licensed Aircraft Mechanic and Maintenance Inspector before going into the Army. I remember lots of the names Evana, Eagle, Bastone, Granite, Ripcord, Maryanne. I struck a tree and rebounded into the open again still a sitting duck. I flew as a crew chief / door gunner from dec 12 th 1965 till dec 15th 1967,I may not have had my boots on the ground out side the wire but we flew close air support , every time you grunts got your ass in a sling we were there to help you, i was on old B model gun ships low and slow ,I was shot down three times, so i dont think your cib means that much to me. We were sitting ducks to support our artillery & infantry troops, so talk your trash! If field infantry personal awarded a CIB having engaged the enemy are a ten (10), what are the field artillery units at a fire base like FSB Gold in Operation Junction City. Hometown: Lincoln, Nebraska. How old is the youngest Vietnam veteran still alive? According to Department of Veterans Affairs' projections, Vietnam Veteran deaths will hit 103,890 this year, about 285 a day. An AK found its target in my thigh. In the article, the writer quotes Patrick S. Brady of Vietnam Veterans of Americas magazine. One was daily and the other weekly. Only believing what Fox & Friends has to say is really what you need to question Most things in the NYT does get critical peer review and push back when questionable Fox NOT SO, look at the crap coming out of Tucker Carlson, now that is scary extreme BS, The picture tells far more than a Thousand Words, it is that thousand yard stare, and any veteran who was out there can fill in the blanks of what they were thinking at that moment Offshore ocean sailing is a lot like being out trucking thru the jungle Minutes , hours day upon day of monotony and boredom, interrupted by moments of fright & terror I know that thousand yard stare, and many a time since I have found myself back there in my mind, staring at whatever and seeing nothing but what was in my mind. How many vietnam veterans are still living. Lets ask somebody on Facebook where we can get all the correct true data and facts. Youll have to look for it, but a long time ago I posted the most recent VA numbers I could find. It was all about teamwork, whether you pulled the trigger or not. Their names are at least on the wall thanks to the efforts of many service organizations and Congress. (LogOut/ The Vietnam Veterans of America have cited that they will remain an organization until last man standing. One moment is eternity- the next may never!. Christmas Night, Midnight, a guy in the next Bunker committed suicide. However, he did not return to the United States until March 22, 1979. Your numbers are way off on the number of Air Force personnel serving in Thailand during the Vietnam war. We need a better more definitive for VIETNAM Vet. Same aircraft were used and were not cleaned before spraying anything else. They are NOT Veterans. Forget 1954, let use a true date of 1962 (first advisors) As anti-war vet , all these years later, I respect yall and your stories. i think the definition should not be restricted by whether you wore khakis or como. of the 1st cav div. Check your POW list. SP5 Mark Kuzinski 86.6K 296 151 53 53 0 Vietnam veterans are dying at the rate of 390 deaths each day. (Crew Chief 1970-71) 25 AVN 25 INF (1971-72) C/16 CAV. 610,000 figure is more accurate., NYT was referring to VN Era Veterans. Vietnam War veterans can suffer from a variety of physical and mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), drug and/or alcohol problems, and hearing loss. How many Vietnam vets die each day? - nobelvoice.com So do Vietnam Veterans have twenty-three more years or only ten until the last man falls? Even if his job depended on them doing theirs well. How about disabled numbers? Non combat Vets served elsewhere. There was a huge difference between the merchant ships i sailed on, no passengers, and vessels like usns geiger. Eight Vietnam Veterans Die every day. it was one of the smaller airbus aircraft. How many Vietnam vets are still alive today? I got the disability benefits at age 79. The fear returned, as I knew he was of small stature. so the cia men who changed from suits were not vietnam veterams when they went into laos and cambodia? Is It Hard To Get Into Kent State University? 11B20 and proud of it. My body was throne backwards into the seat and rebounded forwards; bent over at a 90-degree angle from my waist. Smokey Platoon. Dont know about the MM but everyone got the same combat pay whether a grunt or clerk. 997 guys died the first day they stepped in Nam. The amount of compensation a Vietnam War veteran can receive varies depending on their individual circumstances, such as their disability rating and the number of dependents they have. RE: WHO are Vietnam Vets ?. However, any veteran who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, is presumed by the VA to have been exposed to Agent Orange. Had an easy tour given what i was trained for before I got there. Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons. A Co. 2/8th, First Cavalry, 1968-69. I was also at LZ Bayonet. I do appreciate what they did, from the hero medevacs to those gun ships who flew into madness to help save our asses knowing that mortar rounds fall from above, RPGs & macjine gun rounds were in mass supply with the moniker attached To whom it may concern. A veteran of the Vietnam War is a person who PARTICIPATED in the Vietnam War. Since Sept. 11, 2001, just over 30,000 veterans have died by suicide four times more than the number of U.S. military personnel who died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Welcome home! (LogOut/ my larger point is that , in my opinion, they were veterans. Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (Mit), Missouri University Of Science And Technology, State University Of New York Health Science Center At Brooklyn, Suny College Of Environmental Science And Forestry, The University Of North Carolina At Charlotte, The University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston, The University Of Texas Health Science Center At San Antonio, The University Of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University Of Texas Medical Branch At Galveston, The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Uniformed Services University Of The Health Sciences, University At Buffalo Suny School Of Engineering And Applied Sciences, University Of California, Los Angeles (Ucla), University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign, University Of Maryland Baltimore County (Umbc), University Of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester, University Of Tennessee Health Science Center, University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. I was on merchant ships for three years in viet nam. But to me, Nam is my whole universe i.e. the merchant marine needed every officer and sailor they could find. When we DEROSed we were given 6-8 pills to continue taking them every week. It has a life of its own. So yes, we did indeed see combatoften. I agree Vietnam vets are fewer. My left leg hurt like HELLFIRE! Me? I will never forget the pop pop pop, pop pop of an AK-47 in rapid-fire, but I heard the far off rattle of a M-60 machine-gun through the roar; Why I thought of PFC Wildaboro and his escapade with the machine gun that OTHER sun-drenched afternoon! Vietnam 2/722/73. Wiki User. But the 23 months I spent doing my duty as outlined our government to assure you had a way to be resupplied means I, and those like me, am a Vietnam Veteran. We who were in Vietnam know who we are and dont need anyone telling us what they think. Was an Armored Cav Platoon leader Nov 67-Mar 68 Lost 4 APCS 4 men in my platoon KIA 12 wounded I think I was in a little combat . No, Wildaboro was gone, and AK-47s and B-40 rockets were sapper armaments Later, I read in a letter that Sp.4 Donnon F. Porier grabbed the M-60 machinegun, risking his life, and ran down the hillside rushing to the ambush site. I was the first male born to the Puccetti family after his death, so my parents received permission to name their son after Dante. Alternatively, to transfigure my destiny. This part of Pleiku Province is a combination of mountains, triple to single canopy jungle and/or open valleys. earned their stripe. When I opened my mouth and started talking about Nam, Id get this response, We dont talk about Nam .In my opinion we should tell everyone about our combat experience. Les, in IMHO being a Vietnam Veteran has nothing to do with combat. Combat Veteran means being awarded a CIB. Overall, the death rate of Vietnam veterans seems to be rather consistent if not better than other people their same age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those of us who wear air crew wings probably saved your ass more than once. I asked him to give me his number, he did not put a number on it just that he was Not. As Ive mentioned before, I dont think posing this question was intended to be divisive among veterans, but it has turned out to be. Also, some do not consider those who served in Thailand as Vietnam Vets. I was a REMF but was on my 4th pair of boots. OUR COMPANY STARTED LONG BINH COMPOUND IN SEPT OF 1965, DALLAS WATERFILL EMAIL dallaswaterfill@yahoo.com, Was in Vietnam Dec. 1968 to Dec. 1969, Phan Rang AFB, RVN. Perhaps the reason for guys is that there were times we had to drink out of bomb craters that were in areas sprayed with Agent Orange. It too bad that guys that never fought think for some reason they deserve credit for being in Vietnam when they werent. You may not care but us guys that stepped foot in Nam AND had bullets flying at us, we care, and we are genuine vietnam Combat Vets. If you are a pretender go stand in front of the mirror and tell that lie one more time so you can watch yourself steal the respect from an actual COMBAT VETERAN A/3/22 3rd Brigade 4th ID Dau Tieng 12/66 to 1/68. Im 71 and waiting to see if Ill be the last one standing. According to the American War Library, as of February 28, 2019, it is estimated that approximately 610,000 Americans who served in land forces during the Vietnam War or in air missions over Vietnam between 1954 and 1975 are still alive to this day. What other conclusions have been made about the percentage of Vietnam veterans who are still alive? As a child I knew several WWII veterans. Question One: Are we talking Vietnam Veterans or Vietnam Era Veterans. Those were the prime draft years, but of course there were a few older guys over there too.This does not include other American men there who are not covered by the A, like civilian contractors. Hell no. Combat Veterans know who they are, pretenders know that they are not.. 400 hundred days of always being ready to fight and protect our 40 Huey helicopters, flew as door gunner a lot. so if you wore chinos instead of camo you are not a veteran? It was an incredibly tumultuous time in US history and, for that reason, its unclear how many people actually served during this struggle. Door gunner with the 191st AHC Bounty Hunters. My uncle John was in Company A, 290th Engineer Combat Bn during WWII. I knew what life in-store for me in my recovery had- years of pain and disabilities while I waited for my next adventure. i never saw them again, but i knew we had shared something that was filled with pride, sadness, and the passage of time. These are numbers never heard before & I would not include those before the advisers were sent over in the early/mid 60s. How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive? - MilitaryPerson.com Thank you for taking the time to read this. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. am i two Vietnam veterans or one. How Many Vietnam Vets Die Each Day? - Answers These Veterans are now in or about to reach . The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 530 Vietnam veterans die every day. Should be simple enough but not, Not all ships are blue water ships. i was a merchant marine officer, technically a civilian. It should be duly noted that these numbers do not include the 2500 to 3000 US Air Force troops stationed in Guam, Thailand, and other countries that were involved in the Vietnam War effort. How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? two weeksOver 10% of Vietnam casualties were helicopter crew members, and most of those were the door gunners that protected the helicopter, its crew, and its transports, from their exposed position. Music That Moves the Military. I did a short extra tour with the 97th Trans in Cam Rahn Bay, they had 30 or so LCUs that hauled artillery projectiles and other stuff including fuel up many of those rivers. waited and waited for our slot in port. Still, the American War Library continues to verify their accounts and come to more concrete conclusions. yep I wonder also. I saw plenty of people providing direct combat support to the effort in. Stolen Valor the American Way! Divarty (how ironic), and with my DEROS (Date I returned to the States) in the end of May boarding The BIG Bird, flying across the Pond and back to the World! i served and i was affected like nearly every other person who spent time there. This was with conversations with them while waiting our turn to be seen in the VA. There were 7 RoyalThai Air Force bases used during the war, from 1961-1975, three closed between 1972 to 1973. I have VSM on my DD215 which deleted the AFEM on my DD214. My squad leaderSteve Cook wrote, Dont Cry for Us Saigon. He gives stats. OH, SHIT- I heard the impact of the Rocket Propelled grenade (RPG) to my left; `this is it, I yelled! 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. YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data. Excellent questions. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". the average combat vet in Nam was 240 days. The total goes up every day. in viet nam, because of the unions, they got more money. how would you define a clerk typist who stayed in saigon and never went into the field. If we arent able to > determine WHO is a Vietnam Vet, then how can one determine how many of us > are still alive today? Age 20y 11mo. Helicopter Units and losses in the Vietnam War, The Story behind the famous Saigon Execution Photo, https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. Aint this fun? Got a nice break the last 5 months, got to drive a bird colonel around Chu Lai as he delivered classified info all over the base !!!!! next with 1st of 12th cav. i sailed with some in vn at the end of the work lives. The third cancer was the charm as it was declared Presumptively caused by Agent Orange in 2021. Div., 67-68. 3rd Brigade 4th ID attached to the 25th ID 111.40 & 112.40 later these became 11B.40 & 11C.40. if you were effected by the first or second tour, or as i did, three years back and forth , then you were , are are a veteran. They were smokers. In the highlands we had to take one every day in addition to the once a week pill. Does having your ramp down and touching a river bank count as boots on ground while we were not allowed to go off the boat when we were pumping gas to the airbase? Well again, nothing that you have posted tells the story that you were in Vietnam. Dec. 5, 1967 to April 28, 1968 is 144 days. Spent a year in training and ended up a buck Sargent airborne ranger. I was C 3/17 Air Cav. I also had assisted the FAA in 3 fatal Aircraft accidents. I was on a boat floating up and down rivers for 19 months. We need more honest Veterans. if you read up on it you will see that ww2 merchant sailors were despised as cowards. None of us could have done our job without the support of troops around the globe. scipione@geneseo.edu The youngest Vietnam War veteran was a 15-year-old child named Dan Bullock. It was hot that day; the mosquitoes were going through my mind, and the sun was again brilliant. Base was 1st MAW Danang AB which got hit early Tet with rockets, mortars and sappers. I served in Quang Tri (70-71) and took two types of Malaria pills. Age: 75. However, like it or not, the U.S. government makes the final decisions on who is officially considered a war veteran and thats really the way it HAS to be. Has every CIB wearer actually done that? I was there in 1969. Navy ships were classified as Blue Water ships. Guys like me know the difference. PDF Sobering Statistics Concerning Vietnam Vets As of April 2016 I was out of my earthly shell. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. We and they generally slept in the same bunks in the same tent if we werent up on call during the night. one of the ships i sailed on had a captain that was drunk for 5 months. it is pointless to debate whether a supply corporal was a veteran. There is a MOUNTAIN of difference in each s experience, combat veterans, those of us who lived and died in the jungle muck, snippers, booby traps, mortar attacks, and the battles with dozens killed and scores wounded. The VVA Veteran boils it down to a totally different conclusion that the American War Library drew. It served my pain well as a lifeless, mean spirited dark soul destroying everything in front of me. Leave your thoughts below in the comment section. He is absolutely obsessed with military and different men who have served, The definitive statistics come from the VAs Million Vietnam Vets database, which will continue until we are all gone. Spot on. An overwhelming number are buried by family and friends. I was on LZ Bayonet during 1970 and experienced many of the things you described. It makes a big difference because stating that only one-third of Vietnam veterans are still alive today is much harsher than stating that three-quarters of Vietnam veterans are still alive and well. I saw the truck bounce towards the trees. Agent Orange is a Herdicide. and i remember that we talked about how much we would make if we lost a finger or an arm. More than 8 million people served in uniform during Vietnam and those who are alive are typically in their 60s and 70s. I dont see how there can be any dispute about this. There he was wearing my dress uniform jacket SSG, CIB, BS three rows of ribbons 8 years service, 10 overseas hash marks and he had 3 very underage teeny boppers girls smoking weed telling them war stories and bragging about his combat exploits. Funny, none of them were called WWII Era Veterans. Should you have a question or comment about this article, then scroll down to the comment section below to leave your response. Every single day 22 veterans commit themselves to death. My brother claims he is a Vietnam veteran. Therefore there are a lot fewer combat veterans from Vietnam. The first impact of a rocket was twenty meters to the left and ten meters behind as the rocket flew over its target. Look up the military definition of combat. My demons were better left alone and buried away after two tours back to back. I think I know the answer but like youjust being picky. I dont remember the exact number but remember it was over 500,000 in country and the number was the most ever at one time as the article was about Nixon beginning troop withdrawals that would continue until 1975. Damn it, government could have sent anyone serving at any time to Vietnam. Due to TCDD among other toxic substances, we are dying off faster than other American men born between 1944-1950. I had several Canadians in our Company in Vietnam. What percentage of Vietnam vets are still alive? Merchant Marine officers or crew are not wearing the uniform of the USAs Armed Forces. Findings are made available to the public in an Annual Report. There are questions like this that are hard to answere as being true boots on ground.
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