23 Div and finally MACV Tm 87, 43 RCAT 18th ARVN Div. In 2019, the most . Dec 1967 Dec 1968 & Jan 1969 Nov 1969. Bien Hoa & Phu Bai, two badly polluted areas! The Korean War was not supported by the ENTIRE nation, actually that is why it is known as the Forgotten War. It was a free-fire zone, and a nearby flight of gunships was engaged in shooting up the western valley. Copyright 2022 MilitaryPerson.com You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The youngest Vietnam Veteran is aged in the late 60s today with life expectances estimated at 86 years old (for normal people). Bob Kerrey. For the are all Vietnam Vetersns.I was stationed. My husband was also a door gunner (191st AHC gunship) but he was there later than you (70-71). Spot on. I used this experience and we cut down the Helicopter replacement time from about 2 1/2 weeks to 2 to 4 days. i was not a supporter of the war but i did my job. Bullets were flying everywhere, and the noise was tremendous. He was drafted and qualified for Helicopter pilot school. Got the scars to prove it too, both physical and mental. I got angry at him even saying that he was a vet of the war. Hometown: Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. It only had the National Defense ribbon on the cap. Our side would have collapsed without you. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. But I didnt beat him he just left. Our med company was on 6 different LZs during the year I was with them, supporting the 3rd Bde 4th ID. David, please do not compare this to Merchant Seaman in WWII who braved the many packs of Submarines etc as thgatr uis hgow many died in WWIU, Sorry my spell check went nuts However, he did not return to the United States until March 22, 1979. Born: 09/15/1946. There is a bird in India that says Did you Do it? the merchant marine needed every officer and sailor they could find. The fear returned, as I knew he was of small stature. Excellent questions. But having said that, here are some sources: I appreciate all the support there and around the world but Vietnam area at Fort Whatever Ohio wasnt Vietnam and no matter how brave the girls in Germany told you you were you were not a Vietnam Vet. She is also a strong advocate for equal opportunity, and she works tirelessly to ensure that all students have access to quality education regardless of their socioeconomic status or race. 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. It is estimated that there are around 610,000 surviving Vietnam War veterans as of 2023. question. He was carrying a BAR, killed fighting an infantry action, and the desk jockeys decided he did not meet requirements for a CIB. Vietnam Vet_combat. Hometown: Detroit, Michigan. His Engineer company was tasked to fight as Infantry, and they did. It was also projected that, from here, 138,000 Vietnam veterans are expected to die each year. give me a date between June 25, 1968 thru June 25 1969 and I can tell you where I was in country. I served 2 tours late 1966 to late July 1968, TET and the rest as an infantry platoon sgt Also served in Korea 1963 and considered a Korean war vet as that war has never ended. 400 hundred days of always being ready to fight and protect our 40 Huey helicopters, flew as door gunner a lot. Lots of people say they served in Nam, but dont remember their unit, where they were at in country or any buddies or officers names, since I served with D 2/1 196th LIB as a Combat Medic in 1968, I carried a company Roster and had to give each EM a malaria pill each day, I learned everyones name, dont remember them all after 53 yrs but go to reunion when I can. How old is the oldest living Vietnam veteran? There is a statistic that has been widely quoted in the veteran community that highlights an estimated 22 veterans a day are committing suicide. 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 would you define a clerk typist who stayed in saigon and never went into the field. in ww2 more merchant men were killed than all the services combined until june 6, 1944. and they were civilians. to believe, losing nearly 711,000 between '95 and '00. I was in Vinh Long in 1965, Mekong delta area. at DaNang If we came in they set up tents to sleep in and had a big blivet bag for a shower. To that we can add those who served in adjacent waters and countries, but 2.6 is likely the closest figure to those in country. I was C 3/17 Air Cav. Has every CIB wearer actually done that? There were 7 RoyalThai Air Force bases used during the war, from 1961-1975, three closed between 1972 to 1973. The 25th Infantry Division, in III Corps, issue two different Malaria Pills. I have been working with Dr. Mary Lynn Reed, Chair of Math and Statistics at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology). I was in Nam in 1968 and 1969 as a combat Marine. It was 3:30pm when I entered the slowest aspect of the trip. The other number of significance is the number of Viet Nam veterans killed by Dow chemical. He was a Private First Class who was killed in action in the Second World War. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Having served two tours on the ground, as they say, I find it depressing. With an estimated 6 million Vietnam Veterans currently living in the U.S. or abroad, VA remains dedicated to serving all Veterans of the Vietnam Era., All troops were sent home in April 1973. good stuff !!!!! https://news.va.gov/89450/vietnam-war-veterans-honoring-served-memorial-day-2021/. According to Department of Veterans Affairs' projections, Vietnam Veteran deaths will hit 103,890 this year, about 285 a day. Quite a story. So yes, we did indeed see combatoften. Trying to understand: Does being shot at outside the wire while moving to new location count? I served as a Navy Corpsman, Fall of Saigon. 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. Antonia is a firm believer in the power of education, and she is passionate about helping students reach their full potential. We have been betrayed by all Globalists. Can You Join the Military With Depression? My demons were better left alone and buried away after two tours back to back. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. It could be a Yard, Don Porier, or a sapper. I went into shock and lost conscienceless. The average age of our Vietnam veterans is now over 70. ARP. Id like to know what the 1 in 14 men figure is based on. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. I was at 6 different LZs from Aug 67-Aug 68, with a 4th Medical Battalion aid station (D Company), and I never heard of a fuck you lizard. Is It Hard To Get Into Kent State University? The artillery, Helo crews, combat engineers, in Vietnam are also considered Combat Vets, Well, I guess it just did not count for us Huey Teams (Sky Angels) supporting infantry/artillery units by flying in to lay down suppression fire, flying you into hot LZs, taking you out of the boonies, bringing you ammo and supplies, flying the wounded and dead back to base camp, not to mention Huey night Hawk missions to rectify an enemy ambush for our infantry that would be pinned down with no hope of survival. We may never know who actually served and were in country during the fight. Combat was what we did. One other thing I would like to know, when Jane Fonda was sitting on that anti aircraft gun in Hanoi did they let her try to use it. I suppose we were rear echelon, but I dispute anyone calling us REMF. The New York Times estimated that, of the 8.4 million Vietnam veterans who were still alive in 2000, 1.1 million had died. Was in 82nd and served from a firebase up North to near South China Sea down South, remember some names but 53 years. Forget 1954, let use a true date of 1962 (first advisors) The leading cause of preventable death among US military casualties in the Vietnam War was exsanguination from extremity wounds. We all had a job to do. If you were shot at, in an incoming rocket attack, had to protect during a ground attack, you could bleed and die, you were in Combat. While that's a staggering figure is, the actual amount could be higher. my larger point is that , in my opinion, they were veterans. So, I must be a VN Vet and VN Era Vet and Cold War Era Vet but not a Cold War Vet because I never got anywhere near the USSR. I always ask if they know what a fuck you lizard was. I had several Canadians in our Company in Vietnam. We were sprayed every 2 weeks with Melithon (Insecticide) that was 96 percent pure. 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. Canada did not enter the war so many Canadians joined the americansThey wanted to put a memorial in Ottawa and were refused the built it someplace on the Canadian side I beieve near Detroit, The monument is on the Canadian side of the Detroit River (Windsor). Could they be considered Vietnam veterans then? Served until April 28, 1968 !!!!!! All I know is that Im a Vietnam Combat Vet. I rode river patrol boats from 1968-9 we were on the rivers but we were there 24hours a day days a week. But as to how many of us have died since then, I havent a clue. 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! I was all over in 7 years. Alice, my sister lost hers in Oct 2020 from throat cancer due to agent Orange. three years on and off in vietnam . the average combat vet in Nam was 240 days. How many Vietnam vets are still alive today? They wouldnt know the truth even if they tripped over it. And just as the bell rang he got out of the ring , technically I won the fight. no disrespect here. What was the life expectancy of a helicopter door gunner in Vietnam? I saw the truck bounce towards the trees. Enlisted 7/70. Various percentages of actual Vietnam Veterans is bothersome. off the ship i went out with airforce on resupply, went out with troops through rubber plantations, ran from gunfire in saigon and chulon.