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 . for most of it i listened but not wanting to interfere. I have VSM on my DD215 which deleted the AFEM on my DD214. This accurate accounting gives us persepective on the cost of current and future wars. Combat Vet, Vet on ships that never touched country, military who were passing through and were on airport tarmac? Dave, I was ASA, 1960-1963, Ft Dix, Vint Hill Farm, DaNang and PhuBai. I was only there 9-months but others served multiple tours, so I tend to believe the 2.7 3.0 million is probably an accurate number. Then later we were transferred to Camp Red Ball. If you served in country on a ship in the gulf or dropped 2000 pound bombs you are a vietnam vet. . we spent sometimes a month or more in one port depending on the cargo and the need. Chester/Gordon, Posted in these groups: Vietnam War American History Posted >1 y ago Air medals say combat support flying night spook missions around Haiphong from 68 -71. I asked him to give me his number, he did not put a number on it just that he was Not. My uncle John was in Company A, 290th Engineer Combat Bn during WWII. My name is Ananda. I flew with the 220th Aviation Company (Cat Killers) in 1968. Air crews who flew over Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam had no Fox hole or ditch yo hid behind while delivering payload after payload to help destroy supplies heading towards those in the bush, while avoid withering anti-aircraft fire and missiles. This was with conversations with them while waiting our turn to be seen in the VA. If you prefer to differentiate who served in country and who did not, then the arithmetic must divide the groups into two lists accordingly. Im proud to be a surviving vet and the men who served with me then and those after me. They used the same aircraft, and there was anything left in the aircraft, whatever the spray for the day was added, so you got both. My husband was also a door gunner (191st AHC gunship) but he was there later than you (70-71). at DaNang If we came in they set up tents to sleep in and had a big blivet bag for a shower. Anyone who says you guys werent there will have to fight me. Dec. 5, 1967 to April 28, 1968 is 144 days. 240 300 World. And though did not serve in actual combat, as you describe it, we were shot at & mortared on occasion. If you are diagnosed with a condition that they know is caused by exposure to the chemical, they will presume that condition is service-connected. How many Vietnam vets have died from Agent Orange? I actually vollenteered to go to NAM. If we dont include forces in Thailand or Guam why are we including anyone except Navy pilots, because I dont remember any deep water people who were subjected to enemy hostilities. I know . Please do all you can to inform our fellow vets that the VA presumes Agent Orange exposure if you were in-country. I think its just a generalization but should be cleared. Forget 1954, let use a true date of 1962 (first advisors) 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. If you served at all, anywhere, during WWII, you are a WWII vet. I knew what life in-store for me in my recovery had- years of pain and disabilities while I waited for my next adventure. 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. 240,000 survivingAbout 70 million people fought in World War II and, as of 2021, there are still approximately 240,000 surviving veterans in the United States alone. 15 of us REMFs were surrounded by the 33rd NVA June 13 1970. 2500 to 3000 US Air Force troops stationed in Guam, Thailand, and other countries that were involved in the Vietnam War effort. I pulled up to the local tailor shop to fix some of my fatigue pants. How many vietnam veterans are still living. This trip always was a concern, because I would be in a vulnerable condition in Indian Country with only two surveyors alone in a ton jeep. All I know is that Im a Vietnam Combat Vet. Sgt. If one in ten saw sustained combat, then there may be as little as 60,000 of us left! Served most of my time on LZ Professional. Aint this fun? . The jungle sat still except for the dirt road with my truck speeding along. My mom had all three sons in the war my twin brother and i were drafted he got combat I got artillery the younger one joined the air force . take a look at my article titled a pale smoke google it . Just because some idiot politician or people want to say you were not a war vet unless you saw combat dont feel bad most of those people found ways to evade even getting drafted. Here are two additional sources of information (added 9-3-2022) updated in 2021: https://www.americanwarlibrary.com/personnel/vietvet.htmhttps://news.va.gov/89450/vietnam-war-veterans-honoring-served-memorial-day-2021/. I have one, but I fought a ferocious battle at FSB Gold at the beginning of Operation Junction II March 21, 1967, the artillery guys in Vietnam were every bit an infantryman as well, they suffered mortar & rocket attacks, enemy probes and attacks They were lucky in some ways that they did not have to crawl through the shit every day. Apparently Infantry is the operative word. Scavenger1, I agree with you. I do not doubt that it occurred, but can anyone cite a reliable source for this? I turned left into the open valley dirt road that lead to the OP, crossed the blue line (river or stream on a map) and raced through the dense, triple canopy jungle to the open valley floor. it eas a very loud high pitched, not human and the sound was fuck you. It is an all-too-common misunderstanding that to be affected by Agent Orange you had to have been sprayed, and/or you are required to prove that to the VA. Things that they did not tell you. Me? give me a date between June 25, 1968 thru June 25 1969 and I can tell you where I was in country. YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. i agree with many who feel that a private who served his time in new jersey is not a vietnam vet. Mekong Delta US Army 1969. by your definition, cia personal in civilian clothes were not veterans. What do you think? Again, I see a jumbled view of jungle and sky, and vaguely see a solitary soldier standing over me. There was a huge difference between tours of duty also. There are still a lot of us left by some miracle! it was printed in the ny times and cherries writer. The only good thing was 22 days off my tour. So do Vietnam Veterans have twenty-three more years or only ten until the last man falls? I heard them offen. According to the Department of Defense, infantry soldiers had the highest casualties during the Vietnam War, making infantry the deadliest job in Vietnam. I remember a distorted image of reality. I dont have a CIB to show for it, but I most certainly was in combat. 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. As anti-war vet , all these years later, I respect yall and your stories. We and they generally slept in the same bunks in the same tent if we werent up on call during the night. Check out this post and see if you can figure this out. Dr. Paul A. Scipione Though Thailand was not designated a combat zone. There are questions like this that are hard to answere as being true boots on ground. to believe, losing nearly 711,000 between '95 and '00. REAL Vietnam War veterans are all those who are officially authorized the Vietnam Service medal and possess official military-issued documentation to confirm their medal authorization. How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? Got home after the war, never spoke about my service, never went hunting again, never cut my feeling back on! My government murdered me. i said once if you walked , you worked. State-Level Veteran Suicide Data: 2020 Update The VA conducts the largest national analysis of Veteran suicide rates each year. It is called the Stolen Valor Act., Dau Tieng A Co. 3/22 Inf. I had encountered a learning experience, and inspirational contact with the celestial. in viet nam, because of the unions, they got more money. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. I believe we were all there doing our duty and deserve to be called a Vietnam Veteran. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Antonia Leonard is an education expert who has dedicated her life to helping students achieve their academic goals. Stolen Valor the American Way! Is It Hard To Get Into Kent State University? We had it good compared to grunts..tdy pay, flight pay, combat pay plus side gigs. retired university professor It was difficult for me to move. I was C 3/17 Air Cav. Combat veterans will share their experiences with other veterans especially combat veterans (CIB). We just hoped the pilot put us where we were supposed to be. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Wiki User. I always felt this was the maximal danger of the trip. Thats sad and should stop. Im now 74. What is the life expectancy of a Vietnam veteran? The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 530 Vietnam veterans die every day. of the 1st cav div. Did your foot ever touch the ground? I remember lots of the names Evana, Eagle, Bastone, Granite, Ripcord, Maryanne. According to the Pentagons Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, there are currently 83,204 unaccounted for U.S. personnel, including 73,547 from World War II, 7,883 from the Korean War, 126 from the Cold War, 1,642 from the Vietnam War, and six from Iraq and other recent conflicts, including three Defense. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. How Many Vietnam Veterans Have Been Affected by Agent Orange? The New York Times estimated that, of the 8.4 million Vietnam veterans who were still alive in 2000, 1.1 million had died. My whole essence was involved it the quest of one more heartbeat, one more breath, one more gasp of pain averting energy, one moment at a time. Porier was firing from the north, while the three Cobras choppers were engaged the sappers trying to kill me. My question, How many guys are I still alive refers to the ones who were in direct combat action? Of the nearly 3Mil that served, only one in twelve were in fire fights. Plane had 4 engines and rarely got shot up although we did have a pilot get a 50 in the leg. Im sure that you all know that claiming to be a VFWar when you are not is a federal crime with severe legal penalties. TRUE, yes more may have had a mortar or rocket land in the vicinity, or heard a sniper round shot, but the manpower rule is 1 out of 7 10 is an actual seek out and engage the enemy, tip of the spear veteran. in only 6-10 years.. . Suddenly, I was in front of the truck near the grill. While that's a staggering figure is, the actual amount could be higher. 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. Special Forces orderly room to picked-up theyre new frequencies. I was on LZ Bayonet during 1970 and experienced many of the things you described. Dont know about the MM but everyone got the same combat pay whether a grunt or clerk. How old is the youngest Vietnam veteran still alive? 2.8 million tour because some guys just couldnt get enough! When we DEROSed we were given 6-8 pills to continue taking them every week. Here are some statistics on the veterans of the Vietnam War. Like you I am sick of ERA Veterans claiming to be in country. I volunteered for 3 TDY tours 18 months total. Even in this age of computers and accountability just goes to show ya ,people still cant Add or do Math . We havent forgotten that time of our lives, and remember full well, that most of these ERA Vets joined these other branches in a desperate attempt to avoid service in Vietnam. I submit, we should use the same standard for Vietnam. I struck a tree and rebounded into the open again still a sitting duck. Les, in IMHO being a Vietnam Veteran has nothing to do with combat. Smokey Platoon. Alternatively, to transfigure my destiny. 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. 997 soldiers997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam . My spirit was above my body and I was looking down at myself bouncing around in the drivers side. stay safe. That means bullets where flying at me and I killed people in combat. Pleiku, Dak To, An Khe. Hazardous duty pay was $65 and overseas pay varied by rank $8 to $ 16. What other conclusions have been made about the percentage of Vietnam veterans who are still alive? The debate depends on only two numbers. One count should be those Vietnam Veterans who had feet on the ground. The first US advisors that I can find evidence of arrived in country in 1955. How many Canadian WWII veterans are still alive? Even if his job depended on them doing theirs well. BTW, Marys father was a Marine in Nam and died when she was only a few years old. He got a letter from his wife telling him she was divorcing him and marrying his best friend. and i remember that we talked about how much we would make if we lost a finger or an arm. Which Statement Best Describes How Americans In The 1960S Felt About The Vietnam War? RVN. Their is a new book about to be released by Bill Comeau that tells a similar story of the 3rd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Duel with the Dragon about the Battle of Soui Tre that I fought in. What was the cause of preventable deaths in the Vietnam War? I did work with Korean Troops. The 9 million was the total number of people in the military during 64-75 . Antonia is a firm believer in the power of education, and she is passionate about helping students reach their full potential. Operation Homecoming was completed on March 29, 1973, when the last of 591 U.S. prisoners were released and returned to the United States. Well again, nothing that you have posted tells the story that you were in Vietnam. (LogOut/ Everyone did their assigned job; some just got better assignments. 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. Are we counted as two people or have they accounted for us already. Return to reality. I knew I was dying, but I struggled with all my might to stay alive. Era vets are important but dont count. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Or is this a total number of vets with all the other countries that supported us . I left the Ville at 3:00pm. If my math is correct, are you going on 68 years old ? My husband was awarded several (door gunner w/191st AHC Bounty Hunters).
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