1 in 14 men pulled a trigger in Nam. So do not throw stones at some who got to lay in the same bunk night after night, just because we slept in a dirty hole night after night. wounded evaced) then Am 3/21 196th LIB. Why all this devisiveness. While there troops from our unit were deployed to Vietnam as replacements yet some people dont consider us as support for troops in Vietnam. Each BUFF had 6 crewmen onboard. 2023 CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website, Ive also created a poll to help identify my website audience before leaving, can you please click, Vietnam: The War that killed Trust (GuestPost), Gold Star Families Memorial Monument DedicationCeremony. It was apparently based on an estimate that 800,000 Vietnam-era veterans had died by 2000. my larger point is that , in my opinion, they were veterans. Decades after the fall of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) many former soldiers still wonder why they were fighting. For a mile or so the road cut through the jungle like a tunnel; the vegetation brushing against the sides and roof hid what lurked in the shadows. I can smell a fake and phony 10 seconds after we meet !!!!! A few people were killed. OH, SHIT- I heard the impact of the Rocket Propelled grenade (RPG) to my left; `this is it, I yelled! What is the average age of Vietnam veteran in 2021? We had it good compared to grunts..tdy pay, flight pay, combat pay plus side gigs. Where is this one in twelve figure from? The New York Times reported that claims like those of the American War Library are false and that, instead of only one-third of Vietnam vets remaining, the number points to more like 75 percent of Vietnam veterans still living and breathing today. This battle resulted in the loss of 13 Marines (10 in combat, 3 were left behind and executed by the Khmer Rouge, 2 Navy Corpsmen, and 3 Air Force pilots. Having spent a year all over Thailand in support of Communist Suppression Operations Center along the Laotian border, and training Thai infantry to deploy in RVN. More than 3.4 million deployed to Southeast Asia (1) and approximately 2.7 million of those served in the Republic of Vietnam (2). 3rd Brigade 4th ID attached to the 25th ID 111.40 & 112.40 later these became 11B.40 & 11C.40. Agent Orange is a Herdicide. I have done lots of research, read a bunch of historical history, and met and talked to well over 1000 NAM VETS !!!!! we spent sometimes a month or more in one port depending on the cargo and the need. He showed me his DD214 and low and behold it says he was in Vietnam. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Welcome home! The now call them Vietnam era veterans. I was on LZ Bayonet during 1970 and experienced many of the things you described. A veteran who served in the Vietnam War would be in their early 70s to late 90s today, depending on their birth year. In 2019, the most . Therefore there are a lot fewer combat veterans from Vietnam. Thats sad and should stop. eventually i commented that i had flown into dong ha on resupply missions , having become bored with my mates work on merchant ships that spent long weeks at da nang. He was shot nine times, while I received the tenth bullet from the ten holes in the windshield. How many Vietnamese citizens died in the Vietnam War? next with 1st of 12th cav. Has every CIB wearer actually done that? Often cited as the last verified American POW from the Vietnam War, Garwood was taken to North Vietnam in 1969, and reportedly was released in 1973 along with the other U.S. POWs as part of the Paris Peace Accords. Interestingly, the research concludes that Vietnam veterans seem to be dying at a similar rate to World War II veterans. You were in Combat!!! The VVA Veteran boils it down to a totally different conclusion that the American War Library drew. to most of them, it was another port and another war. About 15 out of every 100 Vietnam veterans (15%) were currently diagnosed with PTSD when the most recent study of . How many veterans die each day? She has received numerous awards and accolades for her work, including being named one of the "Top 10 Educators to Watch" by Education Week magazine. am i two Vietnam veterans or one. As an analogy I will use familiar figure of that time. 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. I knew I was dying, but I struggled with all my might to stay alive. I saw the truck bounce towards the trees. Exhausted! That number was reasonable: About 9.2 million Americans served in the military during the Vietnam era . Vietnam 2/722/73. A veteran of the Vietnam War is a person who PARTICIPATED in the Vietnam War. i sailed with some in vn at the end of the work lives. scipione@geneseo.edu AFAIC, anyone within the bounds of South Vietnam was on the ground. In or out of a compound or an LZ or anywhere else. Door gunner with the 191st AHC Bounty Hunters. Then, I stopped at the 5th. Later, and Welcome Home to all Vietnam Veterans!!! Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. 240 300 World. If one in ten saw sustained combat, then there may be as little as 60,000 of us left! How Many Vietnam Veterans are AliveToday? Dec 1967 Dec 1968 & Jan 1969 Nov 1969. I agree, 10% in combat, sounds right! Help train personnel from many different Companies to do the same. This is a suicide rate of 1 EVERY 65-80 minutes (APPROX). I do not believe that the question of who is a Vietnam Veteran is that difficult Assignment to a unit stationed in country is 1 criterion, another is the number of days assigned and served in country Combat at sea of pilots from carriers and rescue crews that flew over the country and those downed I think that there are really 2 classes of Vietnam Veterans, combat and non-combat that is a more difficult designation to separate As a combat platoon Sgt engaged in several large battles and many smaller fire fights, nights being mortared with shells exploding in the trees above The VA needs to add one more medical anomaly, Chronic Butt Pucker for all combat veterans. so in 2190 days.from today, lucky to be a Vietnam veteran alive. Our 2003 NJAOC Desk Guide to the unique health issue of Nam vets and our children is still the Gold Standard. Quite a story. David, please do not compare this to Merchant Seaman in WWII who braved the many packs of Submarines etc as that is how so many died in WWII. I think I know the answer but like youjust being picky. My son, James, is 16 and has autism. Youll have to look for it, but a long time ago I posted the most recent VA numbers I could find. Anyone who served during or because of The Vietnam War IS a Vietnam War Veteran. maybe, maybe not. . I got in about 20 firefights. How old is the oldest living Vietnam veteran? 31 sets of brothers are on the Wall. I needed the rest! I was on a boat floating up and down rivers for 19 months. I dont have a CIB to show for it, but I most certainly was in combat. This cookie is used by the website's WordPress theme. Depends on where you were. Army Reserve: 189,500 This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. Aint this fun? Not 499 days between dec 67 & april 68? I to served two tours 67-68 and 69-70,first with 1st of 8th cav. This is a controversial post. Could this be friendly fire on a beautiful Sunday? Okay.Ill be the one to tell it like it is, even though everyone here, as well as everyone else, knows the truth already! It would cause great pain to them; reminiscent of what occurred to the family of my namesake, my first cousin Dante Michael Puccetti. 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. a few years ago i was flying from rome to possibly germany or holland on the way back to montreal. I do not believe we were counted as vets. in viet nam, because of the unions, they got more money. Pop, POP POP. no body turned down extra hands, and my india purchased white shirt and shorts made me attractive target in the event of a problem, and provided some humor to the 130 crews. How many Vietnam veterans are dying everyday? in only 6-10 years.. . Most of the time as a grunt without a map. We all served in our assigned duties, some bled, and some died. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. If they reply that they do not talk about their experiences They are not Combat Veterans maybe not even Vietnam Veterans. I was a merchant marine officer on cargo ships, american export lines, for three years, back and forth to viet nam. It was also projected that, from here, 138,000 Vietnam veterans are expected to die each year. A half century after serving in Vietnam, hundreds of veterans have a new reason to believe they may be dying from a silent bullet test results show some men may have been infected by a. I can somewhat understand your position since you experienced actual combat. Well again, nothing that you have posted tells the story that you were in Vietnam. The average lifespan of a door gunner on a Huey in Vietnam was just two weeks. How many Vietnam vets have died from Agent Orange? I know . I PULL GUARD DUTY THE FIRST NIGHT ANY ONE EVERY STAYED THERE. It could be a Yard, Don Porier, or a sapper. I went into shock and lost conscienceless. My brother claims he is a Vietnam veteran. Im now 74. of the 1st cav div. (LogOut/ In the highlands we had to take one every day in addition to the once a week pill. The Nation supported WWI & WWII, the entire Nation was involved in the war effort. Plane had 4 engines and rarely got shot up although we did have a pilot get a 50 in the leg. When all was done and the Army was cleaning up the details of the action, they decided to award CIBs to the officers and not to enlisted. We are working on a feature article How Many Of Us Are Still Alive: that will show a complete Actuarial Model that shows the likely number of us still alive (725,000 to 750,000 out of 2.4 million) and the likely progression of our deaths. it is branded on you. Next determined those Veterans who were awarded the Vietnam Service ribbon. All the millions of other Vietnam Era Veterans are Cold War Veterans. Number who served in country and number who served DURING the Vietnam War regardless of where they were deployed. It seems like you are looking at a very narrow view of the division of experiences of those who served in Vietnam. Age: 75. How many Canadian WWII veterans are still alive? A lot of guys broke out with rashes every time that sprayed for mosquitos, using Melithon, which was every 2 weeks over all Base Camps. I do not know where that number 1 in 14 came from, but in my time in the Army 1962-1970 it was in the range of 1 in 8 to 10 using the total manpower % . How many Vietnam veterans are dying each day? The New York Times estimated that, of the 8.4 million Vietnam veterans who were still alive in 2000, 1.1 million had died. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Our side would have collapsed without you. The Korean War was not supported by the ENTIRE nation, actually that is why it is known as the Forgotten War. Active Duty: 473,000 Their names are at least on the wall thanks to the efforts of many service organizations and Congress. If we arent able to determine WHO is a Vietnam Vet, then how can one determine how many of us are still alive today? Yep feet never left the ground except to do my mos. I am glad that you make Dante, I know the struggle has been long, but the spirit soars and the tale told Live long my brother, None of us are very far away from those days A harrowing experience that can never be diminished by time. 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 . No one paid any attention to them and this non-controversy continues. Findings are made available to the public in an Annual Report. How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive In 2022? Learn something new everyday. Well thank God congress got it right putting the definition into law, otherwise those who served there would not be eligible for many VA benefits, particularly Agent Orange claims. Combat Vets served in country. Change). When you spend most of the time out in the Bad Lands, bad things happen. they deserve that recognition. What qualifies you as a viet Nam vet would be if you stepped foot on the soil. Scavenger1, I agree with you. SP5 Mark Kuzinski 86.6K 296 151 53 53 0 Vietnam veterans are dying at the rate of 390 deaths each day. The jungle sat still except for the dirt road with my truck speeding along. Tough and crazy. I served a second tour and know quite a few Marines that did also. But a growing army of strangers is. But as to how many of us have died since then, I havent a clue. We all started getting heart attacks around the same time. I,m getting older bot I remember combat pay and jump pay were both $55 dollars. (Crew Chief 1970-71) 25 AVN 25 INF (1971-72) C/16 CAV. More than 300,000 Veterans were wounded during the Vietnam War. I arrived in country Dec. 5, 1967. Combat Vet, Vet on ships that never touched country, military who were passing through and were on airport tarmac? I was searching aria, even though these ruts are a real bitch! I was jostled and jerked by the truck over the dusty road. I can tell you that those who served in Thailand should definitely be considered Vietnam Vets. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. I was hoping for more accurate numbers. as soon as it was ammo or arms, we were machine gunned where ever we went. three years on and off in vietnam . When we find that number we can start to determine those of us still standing. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 530 Vietnam veterans die every day. We did what we felt needed doing. Yes, there are fuckyou lizards. 1st cav div. Those of us who wear air crew wings probably saved your ass more than once. I stomped the gas and the engine roared- the truck jumped forward and bounced crazily and so did, garbing the steering tightly. Very devisive infighting among all the service members who served at a time when it was not popular. We all served the same, but different. It does not store any personal data. I have always rounded up to 3,000,000 served in Vietnam..and I read someplace where of that number, only 10% were actually in combat. In the enormity of the cosmos, Vietnam is inconsequential, covered over by days dust! Was I counted each time or once? We just hoped the pilot put us where we were supposed to be. His Engineer company was tasked to fight as Infantry, and they did. Not affiliated with any government agencies.All Rights Reserved. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". An overwhelming number are buried by family and friends. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The difference David, is that you could quit at any moment, most Veterans who served in Vietnam did not have that choice. This part of Pleiku Province is a combination of mountains, triple to single canopy jungle and/or open valleys. 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. I think by now weve pretty much said all that can be said about this question. Vietnam Vet_combat. 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. Just come up with two lists and leave it at that. ARP. That is your opinion and youre entitled to it, I disagree very strongly. Where do they thinly get Ella enemys came from? Im sure that you all know that claiming to be a VFWar when you are not is a federal crime with severe legal penalties. The New York Times reported that claims like those of the American War Library are false and that, instead of only one-third of Vietnam vets remaining, the number points to more than 75 percent of Vietnam veterans still living and breathing today. Another long time friend served on the Riverine Force actually served on John Kerrys boat and is mentioned prominently in his book, told me stories about being ambushed, as those boats made a lot of noise. If he was at least in the Army, this might not work. I knew place names like War Zone C, Filijo (rubber Plantation), Iron triangle, Bo Lo woods?, I was wounded on the Laos border near a fire base with the 101st. Christmas Night, Midnight, a guy in the next Bunker committed suicide. Assuming were talking solely about U.S. Vietnam veterans, all I would add is that anyone who served in the military and entered the war zone is technically a Vietnam veteran. i am not saying i was a hero, but i am saying that i did the job and i did not argue. I served as a Navy Corpsman, Fall of Saigon. Posted in these groups: Vietnam War American History Posted >1 y ago ho, i could not . That's 390 per day. 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/. 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. 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. . USA, (Ret.). To this day, I dont know how I was transported from the right-side dirt shoulder but ending up in the center of the dusty road. I am a Proud US Army Veteran retired in 1984. 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. Hell no. Should be simple enough but not, Not all ships are blue water ships. by your definition, cia personal in civilian clothes were not veterans. I knew what life in-store for me in my recovery had- years of pain and disabilities while I waited for my next adventure. It was an incredibly tumultuous time in US hi >, It poses more confusion about what constitutes a Vietnam Vet! it is the duty of the community to stay behind their warriors to heal them and at the back of them when they come back. We all bleed red. It was a free-fire zone, and a nearby flight of gunships was engaged in shooting up the western valley. The stroke wasnt assumed until after 2000 & heart not until 2010. Suddenly, I was in front of the truck near the grill. However, according to the Veterans Affairs Administration, there are an estimated 38,000 veterans die each day. 9.2 million served on active duty (5 August 1964 to 7 May 1975) 2,590,000 served in the combat zone. 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. He received every military combat award for valor available from the U.S. Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism. I have had stage III melanoma, stage III squamous cell throat cancer and now stage II bladder cancer. I have been working with Dr. Mary Lynn Reed, Chair of Math and Statistics at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology). Had an easy tour given what i was trained for before I got there. So, where is the discrepancy in these numbers? Agent Orange is impacting that timeline and those serving around the world were not affected by this wonderous life-robbing gift. 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. The term I like to use is Together We Served. VA's Veteran Population Projection Model estimates that there are approximately 6.1 million living Vietnam War-era Veterans, as of 2021. I remember a distorted image of reality. The remaining 6.5 million were serving either at-home or abroad but not in Vietnam. Helicopter Units and losses in the Vietnam War, The Story behind the famous Saigon Execution Photo, https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. 2.4 million man who served in Nam approx.
